


The Tainted Sun Forge

by VasGaArt



Series: The Legends of Xadia [2]
Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Adventure, F/M, Gen, Mystery, Obviously will become cannon divergent as soon as Season 4 comes out, Other, Post-Book: Through the Moon (The Dragon Prince), Post-Season/Series 03, Romance, Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-15 11:41:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 99,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28937940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VasGaArt/pseuds/VasGaArt
Summary: The events of The Battle at The Storm Spire sent a shockwave throughout the entirety of Xadia, signalling the coming tides of change. The story of Team Azymondias went down in history and folklore. The events that led up to it are retold across Xadia and it seems that humans and elves are becoming closer than ever, destined to coexist. Yet, one of the events prior to The Battle threatens to upset the delicate balance that was created, as Lux Aurea’s Sun Forge presents a danger to the whole world.
Relationships: Callum & Ezran & Rayla (The Dragon Prince), Callum & Rayla (The Dragon Prince), Callum (The Dragon Prince) & Original Character(s), Ezran (The Dragon Prince)/Original Character(s), Rayla (The Dragon Prince) & Original Character(s)
Series: The Legends of Xadia [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1989241
Comments: 11
Kudos: 5





	1. Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Compassion is like a coin, its intrinsic value greater than any monetary or materialistic value. But just as it is rewarding it could be equally punishing. Out of compassion grows kindness, love and forgiveness, but on the other side also jealousy, bias and exploitation. In the end, just like everything in life, there must be balance.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick warning that the third paragraph (which is the last one in the prologue, delivered from Callum's POV), contains a spoiler to the end of the Graphical Novel "Through The Moon". In case you haven't read it, you might want to avoid it for now until you do (which I highly recommend because it's a good read).

The wind. The icy wind. It blew so strong that night. In fact it might as well have been sending shivers across the entire continent of Xadia… like echoes of a huge battle. A figure walked against that wind, their posture uncompromisingly firm and decisive. They had a black cloak with golden edges that draped over them, with a hood that crowned far beyond their face.

The figure approached a tavern and after looking over their shoulders twice, they reluctantly entered it. The vile smell of alcohol filled their nostrils, that was enough to make them choke and almost gag. Their apprehensions eased slightly, as it was late enough, that the said consumers of the intoxicating concoctions were gone… just as they were reassured.

The barman nodded when the cloaked figure made their way to him and he pointed for them to go down into the cellar. It was filled with huge wine barrels, that continued to give off a nauseating smell of cheap alcohol to the mysterious figure. They held their breath, as they made their way to the second last barrel to the left. They knocked on it slowly three times and it opened.

They climbed inside the barrel to find themselves facing two men, lit by the lamp’s light at the small round table. The leader had a thin moustache and goatee and sat on a small round chair behind the table. He bowed his head and invited his visitor to sit at the chair opposite him. The cloaked figure sat, but did not take off their hood.

“What is this young pup doing here?” The figure’s voice was cold and impatient, as they referred to a tall and lean man behind the leader. “I thought I requested to speak with the Head of the Guild privately?”

“I assure you, that his youthful and lean looks are deceiving. The lad behind me is extremely capable.” The leader licked his lips as he paused, smacking them a couple of times to prevent the silence from fully settling in.

“I requested for the best that you can offer!” The figure spat.

“He is one of the best.” The leader tilted his head at the figure, twirling his moustache. “We only send our best assassins if it is absolutely necessary.”

“This is of the utmost importance!” The figure screeched. “The person you are going to be dealing with, not only is highly skilful, but there must be no doubt that the job gets done and that there are no traces left whatsoever!”

The leader leaned closer, resting his elbows on the table. “And just exactly who is that person? Who does our client want to get rid of and is afraid of getting suspected over so badly?”

“Him.” The figure stated coldly. The leader stared back wide eyed, as the young lad behind him choked, coughing a few times to clear his throat.

“Him?” The young man asked. “The Prodigy? That guy? The kid from the competition?”

“Yes.” The figure continued just as coldly, but this time disgust was frothing at their lips. “He has dishonoured himself and He has brought shame to humanity for siding with the elves to humiliate Katolis, Del Bar, Evenere and Neolandia. He is the main reason why the elves were able to hold on against Lord Viren and so He must be taken out, if the Human Kingdom is to recover from this.”

“I understand why you asked for the best assassin our guild has to offer.” The leader leaned back, scratching his head.

“But there were others there!” The young man pressed her.

“Oh, what, the measly army of Duren and a few deserters from Katolis’s army?” The figure laughed coldly. “Please, they are not the threat, the only threat that exists out there is Him. With Him on the elves’ side, The Human Kingdoms will keep ending up on the wrong side of the battle and he will continue to soil our image.” The figure took out their purse and unceremoniously tossed it on the table. “The quicker this can be done with, the better it will be for everyone. He’ll do.” The figure nodded at the young assassin.

“Save your money and wait for the best assassin to get ready,” the young man shook his head. “I refuse to take your contract.”

“Don’t tell me you are one of those in the Pentarchy who believe that elves are capable of maintaining harmony and peace?” The figure scoffed. “Or worse, are you just as idealistic and naïve as King Ezran, along with his despicable group of friends, who think there can be something more than peace.”

“No one in the Pentarchy actually thinks that’s possible, even if it is something that everyone would want,” the young man disagreed, his shoulders turning sideways to her, as he crossed his arms. “But I am in the majority that want peace!”

“Do as you’re told.” The figure’s tone turned surprisingly harsh, colder than it used to be, as it shook the light in the small lamp. “That rotten elf who seems to be on extremely good terms with the king and the prince will be the first of many. The fish rots from its head and she will bring more of her disgusting, vile and evil kind to the Human Kingdoms until we’re overrun with them. So stop your nonsense at once, since you won’t get a lot of high profile people passing through here any time soon! I’ll make sure of it!”

“Your decision.” The leader said to the young man behind him, his eyes intently remaining on the figure.

“My answer remains the same.” The young man said decisively.

“Do you know who I am?” The figure suddenly raised to their feet, screeching loudly, as they shook a slender finger at him. “Do you know who my father was?”

“I am well aware,” the young man sighed. “But I still refuse to take your contract. Francis is a hero!”

“He is a traitor… and all traitors deserve death!” The figure slammed the table, nearly toppling over the lamp. Despite their clear displeasure, they did not leave… not immediately. They sounded and acted too desperate.

“If you are willing to wait, it might take a long time for the right moment to come but if he is able to move without arousing suspicion and blowing his cover, then we should have our best assassin ready to take on the job. He may have been recruited very recently, just before Lord Viren began his march on Xadia, but he is deceptively good.” The leader spread his legs, seemingly unmoved by the commotion the figure caused. “He won’t reject. It will be his Magnum Opus, I’m certain of it.”

“What choice do I have?” The figure hissed bitterly.

* * *

“Queen Zubeia, there is no point sitting here doing nothing!” Francis’s firm voice echoed across the Storm Spire’s main hall. “Me and my friends brought your son, who needed to be hatched, to you. We fought an entire army off and since then I have helped in rebuilding Lux Aurea and King Ezran, Prince Callum and Rayla have begun to mend relationships with Eastern Xadia! There is a lot of action from others and not enough from you!”

“You have quite a lot of guts to be speaking like that to me, Francis.” Queen Zubeia told him, impatiently shifting which paw was on top of the other.

“Yes, I do, because we all said that we wanted the elves and humans to progress beyond peace and yet you have done much less than us!”

“I have sent a letter requesting Silvergrove to pardon Rayla from her banishment, just like you insisted!” Queen Zubeia’s mane bristled.

“That was almost a month ago! You need to check up that they have actually carried out your request!” Francis exclaimed fervently.

“You are pushing it!” Queen Zubeia roared, standing up on all fours now.

Francis didn’t even flinch, as he stared back at her for a moment. “The fact that you haven’t killed me or thrown me out is a very good sign.” He continued to remain cool and collected. “It shows that you actually want this, that you want to build up our relationships. Yet something is preventing you from acting on it… like hesitance or doubt. Is something bothering you, Queen Zubeia?”

She regarded him carefully and then lowered back down to her previous position. “What if you are the only one?” She asked, off-put by the size of the task that was mending a relationship, riddled in conflicts and scars.

“I’m not.” Francis said. “Apart from my Team, my friends and many others, there is also you. You are talking to me and you wrote an official letter to lift Rayla’s banishment after I requested it.”

“Mind you, in your request, you saw that pardon as something so crucial to achieving those goals!”

“It is.” Francis said decisively.

“But is it really? Is this about you and your friends or is this about actually achieving the cause we are fighting for, _your_ cause?” Queen Zubeia narrowed her azure blue eyes at Francis, who didn’t respond. She continued. “You are not the only one who is clever enough to deduce things around here. I always had the impression that you see things through and that you are a very, very driven and headstrong individual, but since when have you began to act so boldly?”

“I passionately believe in what I stand for.” Francis replied shortly.

“No.” Queen Zubeia shook her head. “You only get like this whenever your friends are affected by it. You really took a liking to those two princes and that Moonshadow assassin.”

“I would do anything for my friends!” Francis decreed.

“Would you?” She regarded him and his determined stare and stance was more than telling enough. Besides, he had a promise to keep. “Are you sure they aren’t distracting you? Humans fought side by side with elves for the survival of my son, which helped bring peace to the lands of Xadia. Yet, the humans still had to fight themselves in order to bring that peace. Sure, they can work together with elves, but could a human fight for an elf? That’s what we need to be focusing on right now!”

Francis sighed. “Queen Zubeia, if you truly want more than temporary peace, then both sides must do their part to build the relationships up, not just the humans. Action is stronger than words alone and it is the only constant in this world. Besides the elves and dragons are hardly flawless themselves.” He suggested very calmly.

Queen Zubeia carefully considered his words, before she continued. “The humans and elves had the same goal of stopping that ‘monster’ army, but had different reasons for doing so, even if peace was part of it. You can’t deny the fact that The Battle at The Storm Spire alone doesn’t prove that they can cooperate with elves! They may be able to band together to stop a threat, but what about a full-fledged cooperation, alliance or coexistence as you put it?”

“Well, if you want to push the latter agenda, then perhaps rewarding Rayla’s selfless action and cooperation with the princes, might be an incredibly powerful statement.” Francis hinted. Queen Zubeia huffed, still impressed by Francis’s persistence. How far would the man go for his cause and his friends? Would they get in a way of each other? Judging by the admirers who spoke about him, he really garnered their respect, to the point that they looked that they would follow him anywhere… and yet Francis was alone in this room with her. However, even to her, in a fairly short amount of time he somehow managed to spark hope in her heart. It made her concede a little.

“I suspect that despite my orders, Silvergrove might not follow them because of how radical the measure is, hence the lack of a response.” She said, before testing him. “You can prove me your words and intentions with action and make sure they do unghost your friend… and since you believe it to be so crucial, then we’ll build upon it and go from there.”

* * *

A soft grunt of a sleepy voice greeted the room for a new day at the Moon Nexus. Callum stretched his arms out wide as he woke up. He vaguely felt the ghosted presence of someone’s lips on his head.

“Oh, yes!” He exclaimed, jumping out of his bed. “We’re supposed to be going today, Rayla… good morning, by the way!” He spoke briskly, as he threw everything into his backpack. “This is going to be a great journey and we’re going to find Viren and defeat him… maybe we could get Francis’s help as well? We should definitely! Where should we go first? The Storm Spire? Somewhere around Lux Aurea? Or should we go further East? And… and…” Callum finally looked in the direction of Rayla’s bed. “Rayla?” It was empty and she and her stuff were nowhere in sight. “Rayla!” He called out. Maybe she was outside already, waiting up on him? Silence.

Something caught Callum’s eye. On Rayla’s pillow, neatly tied up with Phoe-Phoe’s feather, that was used to get the both of them out of that lake, laid a letter. Callum approached it… unwillingly so. He had a bad feeling about it… one he really didn’t want to come out to be true. A familiar false illusion came to him, that if he didn’t read it, it wouldn’t be true… Callum swallowed. He hesitantly opened the letter and read it.

Bitter tears rolled onto his cheeks… he locked the door, and sat sullenly on her bed, sobbing silently. He clutched the last things that had her presence: the letter with the feather in his one hand and her duvet in his other. He was all alone and she was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo! I decided to continue my hobby and this story! So here we go again and the adventure starts anew! This is my second endeavour into creative writing, this time I'm upping the stakes for myself by having it be WAY more original than my first one and it's going to be a long story as well (might be less than my first one though, who knows). I'll be posting a new chapter every Saturday and maybe a midweek one for shorter chapters if I'll able to write it by then (considering my university assignments and the fact that I for some reason really like to have around 10k per chapter... I can't help myself, sorry if that's too long for you). I'm confident I'll be able to stick to that schedule, considering I have most of the story pre-planned, unless I'm restricted in terms of time, which I'll know and let you know beforehand if there will be a delay. I'm really excited to bring you the ideas and story I had brimming for a while, but I'm also a little nervous. I know that the story is good (I think so anyway), it's just will my writing skills be sufficient to deliver it well? We'll have to wait and see!  
> If you find yourself wondering and confused over who Francis is, then you probably haven't read the first story, where my OC is introduced. Don't worry, you don't have to read the first one, since it is retelling the story of the show with a few added bits and different interpretations. All the major narrative points are retained from the show and carry into this one, so you won't be missing out too much. There will be references to the scenes that didn't happen in the show, but you won't be left in the dark too much if you decide not to read my first story. However may I suggest reading it, while you pass time and wait for the next chapter to come out ;) ? I'll be really glad if anyone liked it a lot and what your favourite moments are (excluding the Rayllum bits because everyone likes those and I know some people read those bits more closely)?  
> For now, I'll see you next week for the next chapter, which actually doesn't contain any spoilers for "Through The Moon", but everything after that will! I hope you have enjoyed reading this one and are just as excited as I am to continue the adventures of Team Zym! It's going to be a ride (hopefully if my writing is good enough)!


	2. My Way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “The promise is a link between our word and honour, a bond we bind ourselves by. The frequency of the oath and its successful completion, show how much we measure ourselves and others in this world.”

_The things were slowly stacking against him. Soren was brutally knocked out. Marcos stood with his hands up after being cleverly disarmed by his opponent, Francis noted. He needed to quickly take out his opponent, it was his only course of action. Taking on all three of them would be an impossibly arduous task considering they were all bigger than Francis… but his opponent defended well._

_Swipe from the right! Francis just managed to block it – the second guy was here. Francis tried to kick the first opponent away, but received a nasty punch from the third guy. Francis fell backwards but rolled away to stand up, his nose bleeding profusely. Like a pack of wolves they approached him, ready to rip him apart. Francis waited for one of them to make the first move._

_The guys on the sides unwittingly jumped at the same time. He ducked out of the way between them and ran at the first guy, who stood on his own. Quick few parries, but a kick to the chest flung him backwards. It looked dire, but despite the pain Francis stood back up._

_The guys from Neolandia taunted him, talking about how quickly they would end him, how much bigger they were and how useless he was on his own. All of his tricks were guessed._

_“Francis, give up!” He heard the Katolis war tutor shout. Francis looked at him bewildered, which wasn’t unusual considering how unpleasant he was with his constant belittling. “Save your strength for the ‘Faction Battles’ phase!”_

_“Yeah, why don’t you listen to your tutor and give in, weakling!” One of the opponents taunted._

_“Yeah, you find it very comfortable to say it when you’ve got two buddies with you.” Francis fired back, reminding the offender of his win over him in the singles duels. “How about we do this honourably?”_

_“This isn’t about honour; this is about winning!”_

_“Francis, yield your weapon this instant!” The tutor shouted unkindly._

_Francis, for a second, imagined if he did. It looked like a lost cause, no way around it, so no one would fault him for waiting to fight another day… no one apart from him. He wouldn’t forgive himself if he didn’t try. It wouldn’t hurt to try, then no one could fault him. It wasn’t in his nature to give up so easily. Succeeding in such a dire situation would require great fortune, but fortune always favoured the brave. This wasn’t about winning, this was about trying to, no matter what._

_Francis gripped his wooden sword tighter and went into a stance. All three of his opponents looked caught-off, but sneered at him. “You can’t possibly think you can take all three of us on your own!”_

_Francis could hear his tutor shouting at him, threatening him, ordering him around… but it was white noise to him, that was lost in the den of the crowd that seemed to cheer him. Francis wasn’t going to follow the tutor. He was the one dictating his own battle and so he proceeded. “Three to one, I like those odds!”_

_This time he made the first move. Without warning he ran into the first guy, tackling him to the ground. As soon as the guy’s sword went flying out of his hands, he was out. Francis in a split second jumped out of the way of an incoming slash and then just in the nick of time parried the second strike. He could breathe for a moment, he had to take care of only two guys now._

_He applied all of his training hours of defensive combat into the sets of masterful blocks and parries. No matter how hard Francis tried to counter parry, the teenager opponents defended well. A swift kick to Francis’s back leg, and his knee was on the ground, but he kept on fighting. It wasn’t for long, as one of the guys kicked him straight into the chest and Francis was on the floor._

_The two guys assaulted his sides and then tried to punt his sword out of his hands, but they lost their concentration. Francis booted away one of the guys with both feet and then swept his sword at the legs of the other. The guy screamed, falling to his knees, but it wasn’t enough to get him out. Thankfully, he was slow and stunned and so Francis managed to disarm him._

_Using his wooden sword, he helped himself to a standing position. The crowd fell silent, as a three versus one situation became a one on one. The momentum was on Francis’s side and his last opponent knew it. The teenager lost his nerve and wailed at Francis, carelessly flailing his sword around. Francis parried it and the guy’s sword went flying to the side and falling at the feet of Francis’s tutor._

_Francis was victorious. Rapturous ovation ensued and Francis fell on his knees, his sides hurt too much to stand anymore. The whole of his Katolis team ran onto the field and threw him in the air, despite the grumbling war tutor._

_Francis wasn’t made fun off ever since. He wasn’t mistreated by his peers and the belittling of his war tutor landed less well with others. He showcased everything he sweated out over the course of his training programme. Hailed a hero and a thirteen year old prodigy by his peers and subsequently by ordinary folk across Western Xadia. He proved that he was capable and the fact that he won the singles and doubles duels was not a fluke; he deserved everything that came his way. Although after the single and doubles duels the nicknames ‘He’, ‘Him’, ‘The kid from the competition’ and ‘That guy’ still stuck, the folk nicknamed him ‘The Prodigy’ henceforth._

_Francis welcomed the change, it wasn’t solely the harsh demands from his parents and tutors anymore. He was now appreciated, yet he never felt special, different or above these people. At the very least he wasn’t seen as a waste of space by others, but it was still not enough. Not enough for his tutors, for his parents and now for the Pentarchy’s army generals… despite his courage and commitment._

_He would get pulled away from others and none seemed to care or miss him. He was only needed when something went wrong, no matter if it was too late to fix it. Not many friends, no hang-outs, no romantic partners, nothing outside whatever his tutors, generals and parents needed. He was alone and he was only required for his skills and not his unique magnetic persona. Was he not compelling and interesting enough? Why did everyone move on from him so easily? Why did he constantly had to reach out to others, while no one reached out to him? Did no one care? Did no one miss him? He was good enough, he knew that, but was it really not enough or did no one see it or appreciate it?_

_Everything ultimately forced him to leave, it forced him to abandon the life as he knew it, unwilling to become the thing he never wanted to be. Every human kingdom wanted him to be someone that he thought was wrong. Back then, he felt abandoned and unsupported by everyone… and since then he did everything to assemble the right set of people around him. When would he get abandoned again…?_

* * *

Francis was snapped out of his trip down memory lane and his subsequent thoughts by a Moonmoth that sat on his head. In his attempt to meditate, his mind unwillingly went back to that tournament. The Battle at The Storm Spire had a similar ripple through Eastern Xadia as the events of the Pentarchy Tournament, did to Western Xadia… but it was only _slightly_ similar.

The battle shook the entirety of Xadia, like lightning and thunder across a clear sky and its events keep getting retold. The residents of Eastern Xadia still couldn’t believe that humans and elves fought alongside each other and that both showed equal amounts of courage in this pyrrhic victory. After those events, the question on everyone’s lips was: what now?

It became unusually silent ever since Callum, Rayla and Ezran departed back to Katolis and Zym stayed with his mother at the Storm Spire. That’s partly why he was so nostalgic and deep in his thoughts. There he was, abandoned again… no, no one abandoned him! Francis told himself that people needed time to recover and lick their own wounds; the scale of that battle was too taxing! No one could keep up with his neck breaking pace and highly demanding standards. It was just frustrating that people always seemed to focus on themselves and not look at the greater picture. No one seemed to share his notion or support his ideas! His best friends did, though… so did General Amaya and Queen Janai… and to a less extent, Queen Zubeia. He had support and since he didn’t need to stop, it was up to him to put everything in motion and get heard.

Once again, he closed his eyes as he refocused on his surroundings: the air, the leaves, the ground. The familiar feeling of Silvergrove. It had an… interesting, secretive aura around it. Somehow, knowing Moonshadow elves, that wasn’t a surprising notion to discover. He carefully listened and waited by the meeting point, that Francis provided in his letter, for a certain someone. Where was that elf? Francis hoped that after long training he would be able to sense his approaching aura. Where was…?

“There he is, one of the hailed heroes of The Battle at The Storm Spire.” Ethari leaned against the tree. “I still can’t believe you won, judging by the accounts of the event. Knowing you however, it’s not as surprising.”

“Good morning, Ethari.” Francis got up on his feet, as a disarming smile appeared on his face. “May you kindly let me into Silvergrove?”

“Certainly, it’ll be my pleasure!” Ethari said as Francis used his Key and danced around on the bridge made out of tree bark. And to think that a few months back, he was here with Callum and Rayla… good old times.

Ethari looked really excited for some unknow reason and he wasn’t able to contain it. “Is it true it was only a thousand of you?” He asked half-way during their dance.

“Probably.” Francis replied casually, trying to focus on his gently rising hands and languid step.

“How many more of them were there?” Ethari pressed.

“Maybe a couple, I don’t remember.” Francis tried to remain focused as he continued to downplay the event. “It doesn’t really matter, we won and that’s the end of the story. We move on.”

“You’re sometimes too modest, Francis.” Ethari shook his head. “You’ve got to recognise your diligence and accept the rightful credit that goes your way. That was a huge battle and you will surely be remembered for it.”

“I can’t deny that I will be mentioned, but I certainly don’t want to be remembered solely for it.” Francis lowered his head, his forelock causing a shadow to creep over his face. He shouldn’t have made it, but… he did. Despite it all, he was alive and he had no intentions of wasting his chance.

“Always the ambitious type, you were.” Ethari commented, as they finished the Key. “Already moving on, trying to topple and one up your previous achievement.”

Silvergrove was now revealed to Francis’s eyes. It was still a calm and peaceful sighting, but today he intended to deliver a message that would put everyone, not just Silvergrove, on their ears. He looked at Ethari. “Have Rayla and her parents been unghosted?”

Ethari stilled. “Were they supposed to?”

“Did Silvergrove not receive the letter from me and Queen Zubeia?” Francis tilted his head.

Ethari looked pensively to the side as he tried to recall his memory. “No, we had no such announcements.” He looked up to where Francis had been a second ago, only to find out that he was already moving ahead of him. Ethari chased after him, as he noticed one problem. “Where is your cloak?”

“I’m not going to wear it.” Francis replied simply.

“Francis.” Ethari grabbed him. “What’s going on?”

“We’ve sent letters to all Elven kind about the Battle at The Storm Spire. I’ve tried the polite way, but now I’m forced to be more direct.” Francis was calm and his reply had a cool, confident tone in his voice. “In your case, I’ll have to do it my way and build in some Moonshadow customs.”

“Which is?” Ethari looked warily at him.

“It’s the full moon tonight… and I’m heading to the village square.”

Both of those things were extremely bad and dangerous suggestions that gave off a foul foreboding feeling in Ethari’s stomach, although he wasn’t sure how the full moon was important yet. “You’re mad! You’ve lost your mind! You’ve lost your will to live!” He tried to grab him by his shoulders, thinking he would try and escape, but Francis had no intentions of running away.

“I’m crazy, but I’m not mad, Ethari.” He turned to him and looked directly into his eyes. “I have a plan and I’d be lying if I told you that I only have three backups to it. Trust me, none of them involve me dying.”

“Then what does it involve?”

“Winning by doing what’s right and protecting the image of my best friend…” Francis looked at him for a while. “I promised, remember?”

“Francis, I know you swore a Promitto oath to me that night, but no one else knows about it.” Ethari spoke with a pleading tone in his voice. “I don’t want you to kill yourself or anything like that, just for the sake of Rayla. You are destined to make a big impact on the world and I know you are a man of your word, but you don’t have to do this. You don’t have to sacrifice yourself and your ambition for the sake of your friend and my daughter. I will forgive you for not doing it.”

“You will, but I won’t.” Francis said coldly, as his eyes peered staunchly at him through a shadow.

Ethari sighed, as he let go of Francis. “It seems that I won’t be able to stop your foolhardiness.”

“You didn’t have a chance since last week when I made up my mind.” Francis paused and took a deep breath. “Ethari, I respect your husband a lot as a fighter and as a person from what I’ve seen. I don’t want to go there, but I would like to warn you that if I’m forced, I will say the truth about Runnan that may not be to your liking.” Judging by Ethari’s face, the death of Runnan was still a sore spot for him.

“I would rather you didn’t, but if you absolutely have to…” Ethari looked away, sullenly. “I will forgive you, as I can’t turn a blind eye towards Runnan’s mistakes and shortcomings.” He looked back at Francis, as he put a hand on his heart. “Even though after everything that has happened I still wish that he never took our little Moon-Ray with them on that forsaken mission. Is she happy at least?”

“She is.” Francis replied quickly. “We all helped and Callum makes sure that she’s happy every day. I’m certain his presence in her life is enough.”

“I’m not sure if Silvergrove would react kindly to a human-elf relationship, but as long as she’s happy, then I’m happy. It’s all that I have left and… and I would like to see her again.”

“I’m doing this for your daughter and my best friend, because it is right.” Francis reiterated. “I cannot fail, so nothing will stop me. I promise.”

“I know, you’re a good man, Francis. A kind soul. Good luck!”

“Thanks, let’s hope I won’t need it.” Luck was not part of his plan this time.

* * *

Francis couldn’t lose. He was ready to do almost anything to get his way and that would scare everyone around him. One simple human was going to put the entire village of Silvergrove in pure terror. He needed to show anyone who dared to cross him and his friends that he was not going to ever stop from rectifying justice.

He ignored the ever growing screams of Moonshadow elves that he went past, who announced a presence of a human in Silvergrove. It didn’t matter, as he would make his presence known to the entire village anyway, once he reached the village square. He just had to be careful of anyone attacking him, if this was to work out his way. He would have to do it without drawing his sword, at least before he reached the square gong. Thankfully, no one attacked him, probably out of sheer astonishment of the sight of a human in a Moonshadow village.

He reached the village square, the centre of the entirety of Silvergrove. A large open circular area with the roofed podium in the middle that had a gong. Francis climbed the podium, his green cape waving broadly behind him like a stormy cloud. He hit the gong three times, as was tradition for making village wide announcements. It was the only way to force the council leaders, the governing body of Silvergrove, to be present. He perhaps overdid it on how hard he hit the gong with his sword, but he wanted to make it count.

“Yes, ladies and gentlemen, this is an extremely important announcement that requires everyone’s undivided attention!” Francis exclaimed, with suaveness in his tenor voice. “In the meantime, I would advise to leave me alone.”

Just as he said that, irony struck. One of the elf assassins jumped him from behind, yelling his battle cry. Francis, exasperated at the timing and the nuisance of this assassin, lowered his head, drew his sword, blindly parried the incoming strike and then turned and kicked him in the stomach, sending the assassin crashing off the podium.

“What did I just say about leaving me alone?!” He shouted. “Do not mess with me, it won’t lead to anything good! I’m here only for the councilmen, my only intention is to be heard.” There was loud commotion and conversation amongst the villagers of Silvergrove, as they uneasily eyed the intruder. “I do not intend to act aggressively, so everyone calm down! If it helps you relax, you can unsheathe your weapons.” Francis remarked. Pretty much everyone who had weapons did so, as Francis was greeted to synchronous sonorous sound of sliding blades. He didn’t even flinch, as he casually put his sword away and leant against the pillar of the podium. He waited, as the hushed whispering of the villagers became white noise to him.

Ethari who made his way closer to the podium looked anxiously around him, as he saw children pointing at the human, questioning his nature. There were elves shouting unkindly ‘You! You! The Green Caped Traveller!’ at Francis who quietly and patiently endured all of it. It baffled Ethari that his friend, one of the heroes of The Battle at The Storm Spire, was treated so unjustly. Did they not know who the man before them was?

Just ahead of Ethari the entire assassin’s guild crowded over the foolish assassin who was kicked off the podium. The assassins were threateningly waving their weapons at Francis… all apart from one – Kaden. He was a dark olive skinned elf, with long white hair that went just past his shoulders. The back of his hair was neatly and precisely tied in a ponytail behind his back. He had straight, fang-like magenta tattoos going over his eyes, making them look incredibly piercing and sharp like a hunting knife that he had on his side pouch. He stood in his teal assassin outfit, with his muscly arms crossed, looking silently at Francis. Despite his lack of words, the narrow disdainful look in his emerald green eyes and a small belittling grin on his face that he made, spoke louder than his silence.

The bewildered councilmen finally arrived, all five of them panting heavily. They were dressed in very pale teal and blue robes with a nocturnal black belt connecting the halves of their outfit. The leader of the council was an old elf called, Adhearn. He had the same outfit as the rest of the council, however his robes were longer than the rest’s and he additionally wore a crescent shaped hat, that covered the back of his head, and possessed a staff with a Moon Opal at its peak. Adhearn wore spectacles that usually slid down his nose and needed to be constantly fixed. His wrinkly face always gave away a sour expression and his Moonstrider-esque eyes always gave a heavy feeling whenever he looked at you, despite the dull and tired posture the elf possessed.

“A human?! In Silvergrove?!” He finally croaked with a heavy thickness in his voice, that some could mistake for the elf’s grogginess, but in actuality was his normal voice. “What is the meaning of all of this???”

“Good day to you too.” Francis replied calmly, but sharply. His face was unreadable at first, but then, an open sunshine smile appeared on it when he turned to look at the crowd. “In fact, where are my manners? Good day to all of Silvergrove!” He did a little polite and elegant curtsy. Francis never missed a chance to be tactful and polite. “It hasn’t really changed since I was last here a couple of months ago.” Amidst the surprised gasps and bewilderment, Francis pointed out a mixture of both obscure and well-known places around Silvergrove, complimenting and generally speaking well about them. It was his time to show off his knowledge about them. “I must say, that I saw many other villages, including the main one, the Moon Meadows. Your assassins do hold out pretty well against them. They may even be the best, but it’s been a while since I last checked.”

“What do you want?” Adhearn spat.

“I believe you do know what I want,” Francis’s smile eloped as soon as his eyes narrowed at Adhearn, who didn’t look less confused, even after a long and heavy silence where only the fluttering of the green cape could be heard. “My name is Francis.” The entire village gasped at that.

“You…?” Adhearn uttered, amidst the crowd’s hushed talking, where ‘One of the heroes at The Battle of The Storm Spire?’, ‘He is the one that took on eleven warriors and won single handed?’, ‘The man who held the line’ and ‘The man who stood back up’ could be heard.

“The first time I was here, four years ago, I saw a Moonshadow girl,” Francis went on. “A very promising prodigy by the name of Rayla.” The village went eerily silent at her name, that managed to send chills up Ethari’s back, as Francis’s voice remained clear and firm throughout. “She’s now one of the heroes of The Battle at The Storm Spire. I’m here to request that you unghost her!” The crowd’s silence turned into shocked whispering.

“You’re crazy! We can’t reverse the ritual…” Adhearn started, but Francis cut him off. He was having none of it.

“Now, I’m a man of high demands and expectations and so every ticking second is precious for me and others.” Francis lowered his head, as a threatening spark glinted in his piercing eyes. “There is a price for your mistakes: your ignorance – my request is now an unconditional demand; your assassin attacking me – I’m now also demanding that you unghost Rayla’s parents, Dragonguards Tiadrin and Lain, as well!”

“You’re crazy! Your demands are ludicrous!” Adhearn raised his voice.

Francis calmly waved his finger. “I’m crazy, but I’m not mad… and on the contrary, my demands will be met!”

“You’re in no position to make such claims!” Adhearn protested.

“Oh, but I am.” Francis whipped out a scroll with The Dragon Queen’s seal, as his eyes dropped the harshness and coldness when he looked up and announced. “I’m here on the order of Queen Zubeia, The Dragon Queen.”

“The ritual was never reversed before and it is custom to keep it permanently!” Adhearn remained adamant, shouting over the villager’s poorly hushed exchanges.

“I’m sure Queen Zubeia will not understand you and see your excuses as dissidence, especially after ignoring our first message.”

“You’re a human, you’re all liars!” Adhearn argued weakly.

“Says the elf who hid an official message from Queen Zubeia from an entire village. Besides, your race is hardly in a position to make such misguided and general claims, considering you all specialise in deception and illusion.” Francis was met with a grumbling, but acknowledging silence. “This isn’t just an order. This is simply, at the core of everything, the right and just thing to do!” Francis concluded.

“I do not see how pardoning three elves who abandoned their duty is a right and just thing to do.” Adhearn remarked.

“Because they never abandoned their duties!” Ethari noticed how Francis clenched his fists after that, his skin around his knuckles turning white. “They are one of the biggest reasons why we have the opportunity today to sue for peace! They are all responsible for the simple fact that The Dragon Prince is alive!”

“And how would you know that?” Adhearn challenged.

“Because the first human _Primal_ mage did a spell to see into the past, using your Moon Opal. Tiadrin and Lain were the only two Dragonguard to stay and fight and due to their cunning, they managed to save the egg, despite perishing in the fight!”

“You expect us to believe that?”

“I’m standing right before all of you.” Francis spread his hands open, revealing his sky blue shirt and black trousers. “I have nothing to hide. I will get my way, so it doesn’t matter if you believe me or not. Although I am telling you the truth, so it would be best if you accepted it.”

“Young Rayla’s actions cannot be forgiven either. She abandoned her team, her mission, she killed her troupe!” Adhearn was still unconvinced. In fact, Ethari remained confident that the old elf wound never admit to any of Francis’s arguments, especially the part where he concealed a message from the Dragon Queen. That would be political suicide for him.

“You cannot pin this on Rayla!” It was Francis’s turn to raise his voice, as it clearly struck a nerve. “The responsibility of keeping the team alive lies on the leader’s shoulders, Runnan! He was responsible for keeping his assassins alive! Just like I am partially responsible for the soldiers who laid their lives for the cause we believed in! It was the whole team’s mistake for getting spotted in the first place!” Francis’s eyes burned at Adhearn, who didn’t respond immediately, so Francis continued. “Besides, she hasn’t abandoned them. The circumstances changed – the egg wasn’t destroyed. She tried to convince them to join her and despite the newfound information, they didn’t change. As a result, four innocent lives were lost and they nearly took Rayla’s life, as well as waste the efforts of her parents.”

“As convention goes, no ghosting ritual is to ever be reversed. It has been the case ever since and will always be forever after. It is tradition.” Adhearn decreed.

“You Moonshadow elves are stubborn and I’m not even surprised.” Francis sighed, placing a hand on the side of his hip. “Conventions are unwritten, so you are allowed to not follow it in certain situations.” Francis looked to the whole village, his hands flying up and around in passionate gesticulation. “I would urge you, all of you, to be more like Rayla. It does take immense strength and honourable selflessness to adapt to your circumstances and do the right thing, where your rigid conventions fail and fall behind times. It is perhaps then, if you fall, there will be someone else brave enough and willing to jump after you and save you… as Callum did.” Francis watched, with a very well held back smirk on his face, the entire village begin to loudly discuss: ‘It’s true?!’, ‘A human jumped after Rayla to save her’, ‘Callum can do Primal Magic?’…

“You know nothing about us and this conversation has run its course!” Adhearn’s loud voice managed to regain the attention of the village. “You will not get your way!” He turned his back to Francis and the councilmen followed. He signalled to the assassin’s guild, who looked very eager, to capture or maybe even kill the human, but Francis had the last word.

“I’m afraid I will be the one ending this conversation I started and I know about your race more than you think.” He made their heads turn. “In fact I probably would fit right in, considering how stubborn and hard-headed I am. I believe in what I say so strongly that I’m willing to fight for it. I challenge you to the Lunar Duel! _Pro Honor!_ ” Francis uttered the words with such conviction, that it felt like a storm descended upon Silvergrove.

Audible gasps were heard across the square. Ethari was left dumbstruck. Francis always seemed to him the bold and brave type, never to shy away from saying and standing up for what he believed… but this was pure madness! Francis never went to these extremes before. He challenged the council leader who could pick anyone as his champion to a death duel that only took place during the full moon, at the peak of the Moonshadow elves’ powers! It was respectable to go this far for a friend, but something else seemed amiss, despite his unflappable posture.

“Are you sure you want to act more foolishly than you already have?” Adhearn half turned to face him, perhaps knowing that Francis wasn’t joking around.

“I don’t throw words around lightly,” he reiterated. “Your best fighter can fight on your behalf.” Ethari wanted to exclaim in protest… he almost did, but he had to stop himself. He saw Kaden smile, who was lightly tapping the hilt of his hunting knife.

“ _Pro Honor_.” Adhearn accepted the challenge and a stunned silence befell the village, as he turned.

“If, and more accurately, _when_ I win, my demands will be met.” Francis was still not done, stopping Adhearn from leaving once again. “You will unghost Rayla and her parents, as well as giving Rayla and whoever she comes with a hero’s welcome. You will give her a medal of honour and to her parents as well, post mortem. You will also give them an honourable funeral. Are my demands clear?”

“They are clear, but don’t fret,” Adhearn half-chuckled, half-coughed. “The only funeral we will be holding is yours, if we even dignify a human to it.” He turned to depart.

“I’d be careful if I were you, because I will hold you accountable to your word.” Francis warned coldly.

“You won’t have to, because I won’t need to do it.” Adhearn said, not even dignifying Francis with a look nor halting his departure.

Francis hit the gong one more time to signal the end of the announcement. The crowd slowly dissipated. Those who stayed awhile longer, eyed him with curious stares. They weren’t full of hate and disgust like they were previously, now that they knew who he was. It was now a strange mixture of a variety of emotions: distrust, apprehension, curiosity, disapproval, regard, consideration and even a little bit of respect and admiration. Not many could stand up to a Moonshadow elf and go against the grain; they were considered traitors or too weak to live… unless there was a good reason. So for a human to be so gutsy, stand up and effectively challenge the council (most revered and respected group of people) and their way of thinking, had left all of the elves with some food for thought.

Some elves even dared to come up and ask him questions: about his reasons for doing this, about humans, about The Battle and so on. Regardless of how bitter some of the elves were and how disrespectful they sounded, Francis always remained polite and composed. He even smiled for the more respectful elves. He wasn’t over the top with his answers, as he presented himself in a genuine and honest manner. It was the complete opposite way of how he spoke to the council, to Adhearn. It was almost like he changed his appearance to create a different illusion to fit his situation, like a Moonshadow elf would. It was a little weird to Ethari how quickly and seamlessly Francis could change and he couldn’t help but think to himself if Francis acted or truly experienced such a range of emotions and states in a short space of time.

With the last of the elves finally gone, Francis sat on the podium cross legged and Ethari came up to him. “You’ve lost your mind! You can’t end it like this!” He said disapprovingly, but quietly so that he wasn’t overheard.

“Ethari, I’m going to win.” He responded calmly.

“How?” Ethari was befuddled, as he sat across from him. “Kaden, our best assassin, is going to be translucent during the fight, if he decides to play with his food. Most likely he’s going to sneak his way up to you completely invisible! He won’t spare you, because the duel is fought to the death! Besides, remember the training sessions I let you observe four years ago? The duels take place there and he knows that field, like the back of his palm!”

“I said from the start that I’m doing this _my_ way.” Francis repeated, with the same cold calculating conviction in his voice. “He won’t be the one to decide if he wants to spare me or not. It’s going to be the other way around.”

“You didn’t have to do this. There had to be another way!” Ethari argued passionately. This was too risky and dangerous to go with. In fact if it was anyone other than Francis, he would call them out for being reckless. Maybe this was pure recklessness as well, but Francis always had something hiding up his sleeve. Maybe Ethari just couldn’t see exactly what it was?

“Perhaps, but this is the quickest and most efficient one.” Francis conceded, which managed to stun Ethari. Francis put his hands on Ethari’s shoulders, as he looked into his eyes. “Ethari, no one is going to die, least of all me. It’s not my time yet, anyway. Just trust me on this one. After all, I made a promise to you and Rayla that I can’t back out of. Besides, it matters too much for me to not see this through.”

Ethari tried to open his mouth, but he couldn’t come up with anything. He gave up. What was done, was done. He needed to come back and do his own duties, anyway. He sighed and reluctantly rose to his feet, feeling uneasy about leaving him alone, but Francis looked calm and unshaken. Ethari saw Mac coming up to Francis and it made him feel a little easier. Mac would keep him company in what could be his last ever moments. He even brought him some food from the tavern.

Ethari gave Francis one last look, next time he would only get to see him at the duel. He didn’t want to say it out loud, in fear of being overheard, but in his head he really wished him luck. Francis met his eyes and nodded, smiling knowingly.

* * *

The full moon laid its eyes through the screen of clouds on the upcoming, large and open battlegrounds, lighting half of it up, while the other remained in a protruding shadow behind a towering oak tree. Francis took in the surrounding atmosphere. Mac told him that it had been a while since the last Lunar Duel. Added with the fact that it was the first time a human was involved in it, let alone being the one who challenged someone to it, it was unsurprising that the whole of Silvergrove might as well have been present. This was going to be Francis versus the entire village supporting his opponent.

The open battleground was surrounded by tall and thick bark, on which the spectators onlooked. A large podium reserved for the council was to the side, rising above the bark, splitting the field down the middle.

As Francis went down the slope of the bark to enter his side of the field, the passing elves stared at him. Momentarily Francis thought about what vile things some of them were thinking in regards to him, but he shook it off. He needed to focus on his opponent, that was descending at the same time as he was. He would have little time to inspect him before the elf would attack him on the battlefield that every assassin trained and sparred on for hours.

Francis quickly recalled what Mac told him about Kaden: very skilful and well-rounded, so much so that he was a prodigy of sorts. If he had no obvious flaw, then Francis had a little problem. He was always told to prepare for the worst and that would be the worst case scenario, but in any case if Francis had to bleed a lot to get his way, then he would gladly do it.

 _He is just a year older than you,_ Mac’s voice surfaced in his head. Maybe he was inexperienced, maybe there was something he could poke at and not necessarily his skill?

They were facing each other from their ends of the field. He saw his opponent take a knee and sink his curved blades into the ground to say his assassin’s oath. Since Francis was a human, he didn’t have to completely follow Moonshadow traditions and customs and so he took the liberty to close the distance with him and stand right in the middle of the field. Now he was equidistant to everything and everyone.

While the elf spoke, Francis’s eyes did the work. He took note of his blades – they definitely could be attached together to form a different weapon. When Kaden rose, his body language immediately felt extremely complacent. Whether it was to psych Francis out or because Kaden underestimated him, it was unclear and so Francis understood that he would need to try and dislodge his opponent first to see where he could crack.

Kaden’s overconfident eyes looked expectantly at Francis, as it was his turn to make his speech. Francis took his sword out and pointed it into the air. He spoke loudly, so that everyone would hear him. “My name is Francis and I am fighting on behalf of Rayla, Hero of The Battle at The Storm Spire and The Last Dragonguard; and her parents, Dragonguard Tiadrin and Lain, who have been dishonoured by the very actions of her own people and in particular the council. I am also here to carry out the wishes of The Dragon Queen, Zubeia. I am standing to rectify justice and correct your mistakes. Good people should not pay for their goodness, but instead be rewarded for it. I give up my breath for freedom! My eyes for truth! My strength for honour! My blood for justice! My heart for Xadia! Life is precious and valuable, it must be protected and never taken unnecessarily! If you believe in the cycle and the importance of life and death, then let it occur naturally; don’t interfere with it.” Francis concluded his speech. The atmosphere fell silent as the words echoed to every spectator that was present, so much so that Francis could hear the blinking of the elves’ eyes. He turned to face his opponent, who looked less certain now than he did before. Perhaps Francis could mind game him?

The silence was interrupted when a slightly hesitant cough came from the council’s podium. It was custom to spectate these duels silently, but this was probably the first time when the elves fell silent earlier than usual. The moon slowly emerged from the clouds. “Let the duel start!” Adhearn announced.

Kaden began to pompously demonstrate his weapon handling skills as he twirled the two curved blades in his hands. It was a weak attempt to intimidate Francis, who just watched with his sword in his right hand. Kaden stuck the bottom of the blades’ hilts together, twisted and pulled at both ends to form a spear. He spun it around his shoulder and arms… very theatrically and acrobatically, it must be noted.

“Are you going to beg for your life, human, or are you ready to die?” His voice was silky smooth and sonorous, despite the condescending and harsh tone. It was yet another weak attempt to intimidate Francis, whilst trying to improve his own confidence. The elf slid the spear together and folded the two curved blades together to form a large sabre.

Francis regarded him silently and then just… smirked. Kaden had no idea how much his confidence was going to be lowered after that question. Francis thought he would have to make loads of stuff up in order to bluff and mind game his opponent, but the council’s chosen champion was so complacent that there were plenty of things he could brush up on. Francis, to everyone’s astonishment, calmly sheathed his sword and began to laugh loudly. Kaden’s entire demeanour jolted backwards in response, as Francis turned to the council. “Really? This is your best fighter?”

“What is the meaning of all of this?” Adhearn asked furiously. “How dare you disrespect us?”

“I mean come on, do you really think that lowly of me?” Francis waved his hand to Kaden. “Rayla can take this ‘prodigy’ down in her sleep! I mean just look at this, the knees aren’t bent at a perfect forty-five degree angle. In fact,” Francis shut one of his eyes and stretched his thumb and index finger in front of him to measure the angle. “He’s about eight degrees off. His back foot is a couple of centimetres too far back…” he was interrupted by Kaden’s cry. He couldn’t take it any longer and charged at him, swinging from above. Francis simply grabbed the wrist to stop the hand coming down, punched Kaden in the nose and used his back to toss him to the side. “Now his posture was too straight there, which is why his momentum got cancelled out, when I shifted forward.” Francis explained to the stunned crowd. Francis’s boldness and completely unconventional approach to fighting had the desired effect on the fighter – he looked to have been shaken. Francis heard murmurs, and perhaps they could be one of admiration… he hoped.

Kaden got up, angry that he was being humiliated. “Don’t gloat, human. I wasn’t trying my hardest!” He spat viperously and ran at him again.

Francis got his sword out just in time as the fighter swung more precisely. Kaden did kick it up a notch, as Francis felt his sides crack a little, under his opponent’s kick. Francis immediately tried to counterattack, but he flipped away. Kaden went back at him again and then flipped away after his parry. Francis remained rooted to his spot, as he endured this cycle, not getting a good opportunity to swing back at his opponent. In fact, he had no desire to chase after him; he had no intention of tiring himself out. However, he knew where this was leading to, what a Moonshadow assassin would end up doing after repetitive frontal assaults.

Remarkably for everyone Francis continued speaking. “This stance I’m doing now is a very common defensive stance of Earthblood elves…” Francis stopped himself as Kaden finally flipped over him. Francis turned and parried the attack from behind, kicking Kaden away. “And that was a very common Moonshadow elf tactic of attacking from behind after misdirecting pinpoint frontal attacks.”

The crowd couldn’t comprehend how this human knew so much about them and Xadia. The crowd were equally impressed with how his voice was meticulous and scholastic and did not sound overly arrogant, despite his bravery, boldness and almost cut-throat demands. They could respect the loyalty of this human, not only to his friends and his principals, but also to the art of sword fighting and the dedication to their kind. It was a shame for them that the human had no perceived chance of winning this and had to die.

“All right, I’m done playing!” Kaden exclaimed as he flipped gracefully back into the shadows and got into his Moonshadow form, turning completely invisible.

Francis snorted. “I guess I will have to show something new and other than the familiar Moonshadow elf culture to completely unsettle you.” Francis spoke loudly, his eyes concentrating fully on any sudden unnatural movements. “It is funny that you Moonshadow elves think that you are permanently invincible and unstoppable in your Moonshadow form. On the contrary you may be invisible and translucent to the eyes, but you’re not invisible from any other senses. You still exist!”

Francis lowered his head and dared to close his eyes, as he carefully listened to anything unusual. Nothing smelled or felt out of the ordinary; the opposition was still far away. He pointed his sword as a half-baked guess; he didn’t have much to go on. He heard a slight gasp from the direction he pointed. Francis’s head shot up, more in surprise than trying to unsettle the elf. He opened his eyes and looked where the fighter’s eyes would be, hoping to unsettle him further.

He tried to look for some hints on the ground, the movement of his opponent’s feet, but Moonshadow elves were elegant and light; he didn’t leave any trails. He had to listen again, carefully… maybe he needed to try and concentrate on his opponent’s aura. It was very faint, but the aura burned with anger… unsurprisingly, Francis did just humiliate him. Yet something felt off… something behind him!

_Slash!_

Francis ducked just in time, and put up his sword to blindly block the more likely course of attack… he could only barely see the elf when he moved too quickly.

 _Clang!_ The swords met.

In his mind Francis thanked Ethari for sneaking him in into those training sessions four years ago. He wouldn’t have been able to make an educated guess otherwise and block that hit. Francis needed to keep Kaden close to him and Francis tried to grab him. He managed to land a semi-stunning punch but the elf was smart and he pushed Francis away. As he went backwards, Francis felt the tip of the sabre glide across his chest… that was going to be an unpleasant and stinging scar.

The elf disappeared once again and Francis wasn’t sure if he would get lucky the second time. He tried listening again, but the silence was cut by Adhearn’s clapping hands. “I’m impressed that you managed to last this long,” he said. “You maybe can fight like a Moonshadow elf and maybe your loyalty and commitment is comparable to one, but you are no Moonshadow elf. You’re just a human and you will not get the same treatment as us. I order everyone to make as much noise as they can!”

The crowd unsurprisingly obeyed, as their shouts drowned everything around Francis. _So much for customs and conventions._ Francis thought. He needed to force his opponent to come to him. Francis looked behind him and saw a looming shadow coming off of the oak tree. It was risky… the visibility would be much worse for him and certainly if he would make a mistake, that would be it for Francis. Yet, he stepped backwards right into it, hoping that the elf was agitated enough and would impulsively rush him, after seeing such a positional mistake.

The fighter took the bait, as Francis saw a flash of cyan and dark blue. He was coming directly at him. Francis flicked his sword at Kaden’s legs, its hilt tripping him over. The elf’s blade went flying far away. As the elf hit the ground, Francis quickly picked up his sword, whilst pinning the champion with his knee.

Kaden was defeated… and the crowd fell to a deafening silence, sending chills up Francis’s spine. Victory never felt this… strange before. History had just happened before them, but more was yet to come. They awaited now for the human to kill the elf. Francis gripped his sword with both of his hands and raised it above him… shaking. Through the shadow on his face, he gave the last look at the elf, who was now out of his Moonshadow form, reluctantly accepting his defeat and his fate. Francis let out a bellowing scream and plunged the sword… into the ground.

“What are you doing?” Adhearn shouted from his podium.

“I said from the start that I’m doing this my way,” Francis explained. “That life is precious, must be protected and never taken unnecessarily. This assassin fought well and bravely, I am sparing his life!”

“You are weak and the traditions state that the winner must kill the loser!” Adhearn shook his fists at Francis.

“On the contrary, I’m strong because despite all of your pressure I’m not bending to you. I’m sticking to my principals, to my way and to what I believe is right. I’m afraid as the victor I decide how I carry out my victory. In fact I clearly outlined what my ‘rewards’ are and killing my opponent was not on that list.” Francis sheathed his sword and offered Kaden a hand to get up, who after a moment took it, his other hand going to the side pouch.

As he pulled him up, Francis thanked him. “That was a very good encounter and you’re a great fighter, once you tried your hardest. Believe me I said those things to unsettle you in that moment. You’ve shown great humility by accepting my hand; I’m glad you’ve not wasted my kindness.” As he said that, he saw a silver knife blade shine across, going right towards his stomach. Francis shifted to try and dodge it, but he was too late. It sunk into his already hurting side. Francis felt a sharp pain, but nothing unbearable… it didn’t go too deep, he must have moved just enough, just in time. Hopefully he moved just enough that the assassin missed his vital organs. Francis immediately grabbed Kaden’s wrist and twisted it. He then grabbed Kaden’s shoulder with his free hand and flung the loser across the field. “I said do not waste my kindness!!!” He yelled.

In that moment no one from the crowd dared to move, breathe or even blink. Francis removed the knife from his side and held it in front of him, staring as the blood trickled down the blade and on the grass. “Do you really think one stab is enough to kill me?” He hissed. “You’ll need a million at least…” A dark shadow flickered across Francis’s eyes, as he stood there, breathing out heavily, holding his side. Was he going to finish the job? “It is fitting how the council who dishonoured the heroics of my best friend and her parents, picked a similarly dishonourable fighter! Moonshadow elves were supposed to be known for their honourable ways! Shame on you and all of your kind!” He announced to the whole village, before throwing the blade away as far as he could. He didn’t care about traditions anymore, his trust was betrayed once again.

He menacingly stormed up the slope of the bark, not even giving or hearing a speech below the council’s podium. As he rose and headed towards the podium, the elves stepped aside, opening a path to the podium. No one apart from the council were allowed to enter it, but no one was going to stop him.

The councilmen were all standing up, staring at him. A not well hidden fear was running across their faces. Francis went right up to Adhearn, shoving his finger into his chest, where his heart would be.

“I expect you to carry out the Queen’s orders and my demands, immediately.” Francis thrusted into his chest the scroll with the said demands, marked by the Queen’s seal. He turned around, not even allowing Adhearn to answer and in truth, he had nothing to say… but then suddenly Francis stopped in his tracks. He looked back over the shoulder just enough to see Adhearn out of the corner of his flaming eyes and coldly hissed. “Do not. Waste. My kindness.”

* * *

Francis headed to Mac’s tavern, instantly forgetting about his wound. He felt empty and incredibly tense. The strange and false hollowness of his victory was rapidly replaced with a rising sense of hunger. When he entered, the elves that were already there turned to stare at him and fell silent. Francis ignored them and headed straight to Mac.

“Rayla’s favourite,” he said.

“Sure.” Mac replied knowingly.

He held straight, despite the arduous effort it took to hide that he was aching all over. As he waited, the elves went back to their normal conversations, just a tad more hushed. Francis did his best not to look over at the acute gazes he felt on the back of his head. Then, someone made him look back.

“Francis!” He heard Ethari, as he headed straight towards him. Before Francis could react Ethari pulled him into a hug, sending a shock through his side. The elves took notice and some looked uncomfortable by it. Francis very slowly and trustingly embraced him back. He noticed how pale his unbloodied hand was becoming. Ethari continued. “I can’t believe you did it, you madman! All for my daughter and my old friends! You’re pure moonlight, for this!”

“I’m touched, but this wasn’t about me. It was about…”

“… doing the right thing, I know.” Ethari pulled away. “How many times do I have to tell you to stop being so modest? Rayla is going to kill you when she finds out about this!” Ethari joked, before noticing that his clothes across his chest and side were blood stained. “You’re still bleeding! How are you going to explain yourself to Rayla?”

“Hah, I forgot about it.” Francis immediately deflected. He had bigger wounds to worry about. “Listen, Rayla doesn’t need to know how exactly I helped her. The fact that I succeeded is all that matters.” He insisted.

Their interaction was interrupted by the doors to the tavern being loudly opened. A tall elf, with numerous face markings, calmly stepped to them, holding a very straight back. He did a little bow in front of them. “My name is Wynn,” his voice was even and patient. “I would like to apologise for the dishonourable behaviour showcased by my student, Kaden.” The shadow flashed across Francis’s eyes at the mere mention of his name. “I can assure you that his behaviour is not and will never be a representation of our kind. I will make sure that he will learn his lesson using the most harsh and prolonged measures.”

“I accept your apology, although it should come from him and not you.” Francis said, trying to hide even the slightest hint of resentment in his eyes.

“He will make a public apology, he didn’t behave like a Moonshadow elf.” Wynn took a deep breath. “You, however, have fought and spoke like one. I must say, I may not trust or like humans, but I sometimes wish they were more like you. There wouldn’t be such tension.”

“It would be less tense if more elves were also like Rayla.” Francis corrected. “As for other humans, they are kind and compassionate… most of them. It’s just some of them are suppressed, afraid or not as expressive as I am.”

“Let’s hope that more will become like you then and more elves will become like Rayla.” Wynn compromised.

Francis tried to hide the staggering that was caused by his still bleeding wound, but Wynn spotted it… so did Ethari. “So he did manage to land a hit on you. I will get our medic to check that one out.” Wynn stated.

“You’re too kind.” Francis bowed his head, placing a hand over his heart. “There is no need. You don’t need to worry yourself about me. I’ve got medical supplies in my backpack; I can patch myself up.”

“Please, I insist.” Wynn showed him his palm.

Francis sighed. “Very well,” he finally said. “I shall accept.”

“Let me help you.” Ethari offered.

“I’m fine there is…”

“You’re staggering!” His offer was unconditional.

“Just show me where to go.” Francis conceded. He did his best not to lean on Ethari at all and if he staggered slightly, he tried to hide it… at least from the other elves. He couldn’t show weakness to the public eye, he had to remain unflappable and strong.

Wynn stopped, letting Ethari and Francis exit, and turned to Mac. “And for the love of Garlath, somebody get this man some Moonberry juice!”

* * *

Ethari thought he would have to carry Francis, as he turned a little pale and stopped looking up, but he still rejected every single advance of support. Francis admirably held himself up, despite the pain in his side. Instead of heading to the infirmary, Ethari headed to his house and kicked his door open. He heard Francis sigh.

“Ethari, did you have to take me to your house and not to the medic?”

“Where are you planning to stay?” Ethari pressed.

“Look, I really appreciate your concern, but I can build a shelter if it rains and it wasn’t supposed to rain tonight.”

“Don’t be ridiculous!” Ethari rejected Francis’s notion. “You are staying here tonight and you’re not changing my mind! It’s the least I can do after today’s heroics you did for my daughter.”

“Fine,” Francis conceded and smirked. “Thank you.”

“No, thank _you_.” Ethari insisted. “Not only for succeeding and carrying out your Promitto oath but also luckily coming out alive. Now rest on the sofa, while I go and get a medic” He said and quickly disappeared.

Francis would have corrected him that this wasn’t luck, that he had it planned… mostly. Daring and very difficult to achieve, sure, but he always believed that it would work out the way he intended it to.

With no other pair of eyes present in the room, Francis stopped the act and collapsed into the sofa. It had been a long day. His plan worked and hopefully it would leave a lasting and positive impression on the Moonshadow elves. Francis always considered them a bit too reserved and contained and now he hoped it would encourage them to act beyond and more open with standing up to what was right. But wasn’t this about rectifying justice? Didn’t he do it for Rayla? Francis’s head went foggy for a second, as pain noted itself to him.

Francis heard footsteps leading up to Ethari’s house, so he sat up again. The medic quickly went over him. “I see your side is still a little stiff?” She said. “It looks to have been aggravated recently, before today.”

“I fell on it, a couple of times.” Francis deflected.

“Was that during The Battle?”

“Well… the initial injury happened earlier.” Francis grimaced, as his wounds got treated.

“You are lucky… he didn’t get you particularly seriously.” She switched the topic as she put bandages on him.

“In regards to that, a little.” Francis replied simply.

“You should have seen the scenes that took place after,” she shook her head. “He tried to walk away silently in shame, but he did let out a scream in anger.”

“It’s not surprising that Kaden is angry. He certainly had a huge advantage, but his young inexperience made him far too complacent.” Francis looked away and only then noticed that Ethari was not present.

“You do know your opponent today is going to get in trouble.” She suddenly said. “Not only he dishonoured himself, the way he was dishonoured and lost was worse than humbling… it was humiliating. The outcome of your duel isn’t going to just be kept within Silvergrove’s boundaries.”

“It was his own fault for making it personal and losing his head.” Francis grimaced.

The medic didn’t proceed with the conversation, as she checked his wounds once again. “Alright, you’re all done here,” she got up. “I’m not sure whether to feel happy that you managed to survive or dismayed at the fact we have lost to a human and had to fold into his demands. In any case, I will leave you alone. May the moon’s rays heal your injuries quicker. Have a good evening.”

“Good evening.” Francis bid her farewell, as she departed Ethari’s house, leaving Francis all alone.

He stared into the ceiling, thinking to himself. About what, Francis wasn’t sure… it was hard to pick out. Words and ideas randomly spun in his head, tiring him out quicker and quicker. What made Francis suddenly freeze up, was a question that surfaced: how long would he have to do this? He couldn’t keep fighting forever… what would happen when he couldn’t do it alone anymore? What was he outside of this cause, this crusade he set out on? He struggled to answer. He just wished he could easily focus on what he wanted for himself and not constantly for what the world asked or needed… but no, he had a job, a duty to fulfil. He needed to redeem himself for what he swore to never do. It was his duty to stride unfalteringly towards his life’s goal.

When he looked around he felt heavy and sad. Within the immediate area he looked, there were a couple of Rayla’s childhood drawings, Runnan’s weapons and Ethari’s presents to Runnan. It smelled of family… that was missing. Now that Ethari was alone in this house, how empty had the feeling been? Francis sighed… would he even get to experience what a complete family was? What it was like to have a kid? Grow old with someone you were crazily in love with? He sighed again. He had a duty to fulfil.

“I got your order,” Francis heard Ethari approach, as the smell of Moonberry Surprise and juice filled his nostrils. He sat beside him and put the food on the table. They talked for a while, notably about what happened to Rayla and Team Zym after they departed Silvergrove that night.

“Francis.” Ethari uttered. “Did Callum really jump off the Storm Spire’s pinnacle after Rayla?”

“Yes, Ethari, yes he did.” Francis nodded. “I thought I lost them… I thought I lost my only family.” _The only one I have left._ “That day had simultaneously the worst and the best moments in my short, but rich eighteen year life.”

“It is hard to believe that the boy I saw, who didn’t have a shroud of confidence and firmness, braved to do something like that.”

“Love can do indescribable things to people.” Francis mused wistfully.

“I’m not sure Runnan would approve of them.” Ethari sighed. “However I don’t think it would have stopped Rayla.”

“I wonder how things are going back at Katolis for her, Ezran and Callum.” Francis had an air of longing nostalgia around him.

“When do you think they will return to Xadia?”

“ _Eastern_ Xadia.” Francis noted with a chuckle. “I’m not sure, I hope very soon. It is empty and quiet in the Storm Spire and Lux Aurea without them.”

“I can’t imagine the elation on Rayla’s face when she sees that she can come back to Silvergrove.”

“Me too and I can’t wait to see Callum’s reaction to his present, whenever he gets here. It's his birthday this month after all.”

“So is Rayla’s. Her first one that she gets to celebrate away from home.” Ethari said with his big sad and melancholic eyes. In all of his warm and familial house, everything was cosy, energetic and welcoming. Just one thing was out of order, that prevented the atmosphere from becoming whole. Rayla was missing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed a quick refresher on who Francis is and what he is about, as well as the set up to the issues he is going to face. He is quite an important asset to this story, so he is here to stay... though his time in this story certainly won't be an easy ride for him. If you are unsure as to what Eastern and Western Xadia are, how it differs from the term Xadia, what the Promitto oath is and why does Francis know Ethari, been to Silvergrove prior to the cannon story and is such a capable warrior, then all of it has been established in my first story. So you might want to scan for that if you found reading this a bit too confusing, although some of the answers have been hinted here.  
> The Moonshadow form in my fiction differs slightly from the one shown in the show (that's deliberate). Because I don't fully address it in my first fiction, just to make it clear here, Moonshadow elves turn fully invisible if they stay very still and only give out a cyan hue when they move a little too quickly. However only Moonshadow elves can see someone who stands still in their Moonshadow form and their kind generally see the outlines clearer than anyone else (otherwise the Lunar Duel would just be an empty arena with occasional cyan flashes and very boring).  
> In terms of timing, this chapter takes place just before/around the events of "Through the Moon". Every chapter after this one takes place after those events.  
> Thank you once again for reading this! Stay tuned next Saturday to find out what has been happening to the boys since the ending of "Through the Moon".


	3. Rayless Moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “The strength of one’s connection is usually most acute over a long distance. It is during someone’s known absence that the true bond can be revealed, for one bond is in reality never single.”

The flowers inside Callum’s soul had wilted slightly that day. What was meant to be a day of happiness and celebration, his birthday, was a day of great pain and sadness. Ezran remembered looking for Callum and Rayla around the Moon Nexus for ages, until he finally came to the place where the pair were staying… only to find it locked. No matter how much Ezran called for them and knocked on their door, no answer came. And so it was, Callum spent the entire day in his room, spilling sad silent sobs.

It was a fine bright morning, when he finally got out of his room the next day. Ezran was relieved to see him at last, but that relief evaporated quickly. The awful sight of Callum terrified Ezran. His eyes were glassy, puffy and red. His body was slumped and devoid of any vigour, as his hands hung despondently, wobbling at the slightest breeze.

“Callum?” Ezran was almost scared to approach him.

Callum remained utterly silent, his glassy eyes remaining on something in the background, as his hand seemed to clutch a piece of paper… and was that some sort of blue feather sticking out of it? Could it be Phoe-Phoe’s?

“You are finally out,” Ezran continued, perplexed by this situation and unsure of how to act. “What’s wrong? It’s summer; the weather is great today,” he mumbled.

“Even though the weather is great today, there is still a greying cloud that rains inside my heart, as it threatens to turn into a full out thunderstorm.” Callum uttered, his voice remaining empty of emotion and sounding almost absentminded.

He brushed past Ezran, who was too stunned to reply with anything, as he silently watched his brother drag his feet to the breakfast table. Ezran was completely lost over why his brother was acting so removed, until he looked inside his room. It was empty… Rayla was missing. Ezran blinked in disbelief as he looked around the room, feeling frustrated when it suddenly got dark outside. The cloud that hid the sun dimmed the room in dreary depressing darkness.

Confident in the fact that there was no way she was hiding in the room, Ezran ran out to Callum and sat opposite him on the breakfast table. Feeling the cold wind suddenly rush brazenly through his messy flock of hair, Ezran spoke hurriedly. “Callum, what’s wrong? Where is Rayla?”

Callum barely deigned him with a focused look, as a teardrop rolled down his side and splattered on the stone table. Drops splattered on the ground around them, as Callum told him everything. The sound of splattering got louder and louder, until it was pounding all around them. The weather wept.

* * *

Even now, the weather was weeping this early morning outside the window of Ezran’s chambers. It had been throughout the last month of summer and deep into autumn. By the looks of it, snow was going to come soon; winter was just around the corner.

Ezran dangled his feet, reading a letter and soaking in its contents with a lit candle nearby. He received another letter from Francis. Those were always fun, as he mostly talked about what he did around Eastern Xadia. Nowadays he was helping out with the restoration of Lux Aurea, describing it as a speedy recovery in vivid words that invited Ezran to imagine Francis wildly gesticulating and waving his hands just to set a sense of scale.

Sometimes Francis would also part his wisdom in his letters. Ezran fondly reminisced how he told him that Rayla grumbled about the need to have Katolis’s currency and the materialistic nature of humans and Francis sent back a letter lecturing her about why it was that way. Something about ‘economics’, ‘scarce resources’ and ‘infinite wants’, Ezran recalled.

To this day, Francis stayed true to his promise of writing weekly letters addressed to all of them… and even to this day Ezran could not brave informing Francis that Rayla left them several months ago in search of Viren nor could he tell him about the impact it had on Callum.

He tried not to think about it too much, as he attempted to get himself excited over the snow that was bound to come soon. He could only dream about how much fun this would be and all of the festivities that were part of winter. Oh, he really hoped that Francis would come over to celebrate with them. He missed him so much. Yet as soon as he imagined that, he couldn’t help but feel a little sad and empty inside. It would be obvious that someone big was missing… and besides, this year would be the first winter Ezran would spend without his father.

He suddenly really wanted Francis to come over, it felt almost akin to an urge. After all Francis had no one to spend these winter festivities with, since he was away… and his parents weren’t particularly happy with him, as he told Ezran many times before. At least Ezran still had his brother… and sooner or later he would have to tell Francis the truth about Rayla anyway. He thought it would be best to do it in person.

A grumpy croak came from underneath the table, as someone’s round body nudged his dangling feet. Ezran’s thought process was broken and he looked down to meet Bait’s eyes.

 _He still hasn’t woken up._ Bait croaked again, as Ezran felt his annoyance and concern.

 _Bait, you know that he has been waking up much later than us recently,_ Ezran sighed. _Give it some time._

Another sigh escaped Ezran’s mouth as he looked miserably at his pet. Bait turned around and sluggishly jumped up to the table and lied down on it, returning the blues that floated around the pair by changing his body colour accordingly.

With each passing day, Callum had been waking up later and later, so much so that Ezran started going to his room to wake him up. After all, he was only up on time for lunch, when he didn’t even have any breakfast yet – the most important meal of the day! At the very least, Callum was never late to any of Ezran’s councils and meetings. He never missed them, was the first to come in and the last one to go out. It was during those times that Callum would put somewhat of an effort to disguise his state and do the bulk of the talking for his day, as he stood by Ezran and his throne.

Despite everything, Callum would always close up and fall silent as soon as these councils ended. He would never ask for anything more nor would he comment about himself. He was growing duller and duller each day. The lively vigour in his eyes was becoming dimmer and dimmer, as it got replaced by a hurting emptiness. Worst of all, he refused to talk to anyone about it.

“Your Highness?” Corvus’s voice made Ezran look up. He saw him peak into the room.

“Good Morning, Corvus.” Ezran covered his gloomy feelings with the curtains of politeness and tact.

“Are you reading the book that Francis sent you?” Corvus asked with an apologetic tone in his voice, thinking he interrupted the king. He looked like he was about to leave.

“Oh, no, just his letter.” Ezran quickly replied.

“Oh, but of course,” Corvus realised. “It is Sunday today, after all.”

“What can I do for you today?” Ezran asked, maintaining his tact. Corvus eyed him suspiciously. Perhaps Ezran was being more tactful than he normally was.

“It’s just,” Corvus began with an inspecting sharp look in his eyes that was becoming of a tracker. “It’s almost your time to wake up your brother.” He said with an earnest tone in his voice.

“Is it time already?” Ezran asked surprised, looking out in the window. It was still dark outside.

“Don’t be so surprised, King Ezran,” Corvus said with a small smile on his face. “Winter is only a month away and it is raining outside, so it’s darker than usual. In any case, it should stop raining soon and get lighter this afternoon.”

“Right.” Ezran shrugged his shoulders. “I’m coming right away.”

* * *

Ezran gingerly approached the doors to his brother’s room. Since returning from their adventure with Team Zym, while he moved to the king’s chambers, Callum and Rayla moved to share this room. After the events at the Nexus however, Callum didn’t bother to move back to his old room. He stubbornly remained in this one, even if Ezran could feel Callum being more and more hurt whenever he entered or left it… or just passed it for that matter.

Ezran took a deep breath and knocked on the door. “Callum, wake up!” He exclaimed, poorly concealing the routine hesitance in his voice. Only silence echoed to him in return. “Callum?” Ezran tried again, hoping that somehow this time it would be different from any of the previous times.

When the same standard silence replied to him once again, Ezran creaked the door open. As per usual, he was greeted by the bedroom’s damning darkness, dissolving any shred of light coming from the entrance.

He carefully treaded into the room through the thick darkness, his feet knocking and dragging the things that were on the floor with almost every single step. Using Callum’s snoring as a point of reference, he headed in the rough direction of the grand balcony window to let some light in this void of darkness. Once again he forgot about the obstacles that would be in his way, as he tripped and fell. At least his landing was cushioned by something semi-soft. Deciding that avoiding bruises would be better for his health, he crawled the rest of his way towards the location of the balcony. Despite thinking that he was safe from hurting himself, he still managed to bump his head on the wall when he reached it.

A little disappointed in himself, Ezran scratched his offended head with one arm and opened the grand balcony curtains with his other. A pale white light lazily lit the room, barely lifting the thick darkness. It was still too dim for Ezran’s liking, but at least he could make out the general overview of the room… and it still hadn’t changed from the previous time he had to wake him up.

The room was messy, which was a criminal understatement… but it also wasn’t just that. What Ezran always found extremely peculiar was the fact that the room itself was only messy on Callum’s side. What used to be Rayla’s side of the room, was in pristine, immaculate and almost untouched condition: the bed was made up, her pyjamas were neatly folded on her nightstand, there was not a single particle of dust on the floor… just the chair by her writing desk wasn’t straight. Ezran quickly fixed that.

On Callum’s side however, there were all manner of things thrown around: books and ripped sketches littered the floor, clothes carpeted the said floor and draped over the chair in front of the desk. It struck Ezran again and again, each time he was forced to wake Callum up, that he was somehow constantly finding space to put more and more sketches on his desk. It was perhaps a miracle that the desk hadn’t crumbled under the weight of his sketches… in fact one could even mistakenly claim that the desk was made entirely out of paper.

Ezran sighed heavily, the sight never failed to make an impression on him. Each and every single one of those sketches were of Rayla, as it involved her in one way or another. He wondered what happened to Callum’s usual weekly sketch of Ezran. He hadn’t done one in so long… probably ever since the Nexus.

The cleanest and most carefully placed item on Callum’s side of the room was always Rayla’s farewell letter and Phoe-Phoe’s feather… which were supposed to be on that desk. Ezran looked around in worry. Where were they? Oh, Callum fell asleep with them. He was clutching both of them closely to his chest.

In any case, Ezran needed to wake him up. He had already seen everything in this room many times over. He was walking over to his bed, when he accidentally kicked something heavy, stubbing his toe. Ezran looked down. It was Callum’s sketchbook, slightly damaged from The Battle at The Storm Spire and detached from its straps. Callum hadn’t shown him anything in a while. In fact, Ezran recalled the birthday tradition Callum had – each year he drew a sketch of his family. He would always share the end product with him, but this year he hadn’t. After all, he spent his entire birthday alone, holed up in his room.

Curiosity took over Ezran, as he picked up and opened the sketchbook. He quickly skimmed to the back of it, starting with Callum’s very first birthday drawing, which was a bunch of stick figures. As he went year by year, the pictures were a testimony to the progress of his drawing skills, as the depicted smiles and Bait’s angry face became more expressive and clear. Ezran’s melancholic eyes rested a little on the first birthday drawing after their mother’s death. Unlike in the previous ones, Sarai in this one had lighter strokes to her outline, as if she was transparent. Ezran really wished he got to know his mother more physically, but at least the stories and Callum’s drawings compensated for it.

Feeling that he got distracted, Ezran quickly flipped the pages to the end. He laid his wide eyes on Callum’s last drawing… yes, he did make one. The drawing formed an uneasy and concerning feeling in his stomach. It in fact also sent shivers down Ezran’s spine. There was clearly a reason why Callum didn’t show it to him and now he was feeling guilty and awful over the fact that he looked at it without Callum’s permission.

The drawing itself had more people now. Apart from Harrow, Sarai, Callum, Ezran and Bait, it also now included Rayla, Francis and Azymondias. As expected, Harrow and Sarai, who were drawn in lighter strokes, were standing behind Callum and Ezran. As usual, Ezran was slightly to Callum’s side, holding a grumpy Bait. However, that was where the normalities ended entirely.

Francis was standing away from all of them. His hands were up and his entire demeanour and expression made him look like he was caught between a rock and a hard place. He was looking to the side away from their family, which was incidentally exactly where Zym was flying off to.

A little closer to them and reaching out to Callum’s shoulder was Rayla. She looked a little earnest and apologetic. Unlike Francis, she was facing Callum… but her outline wasn’t consistent. The area around her chest, where her heart would be, and the arm that reached out to Callum’s shoulder were a little transparent, unlike the rest of her body.

And yet, that wasn’t what scared and made Ezran concerned the most. Callum was facing forward. His head was a little lowered and his expression was saddened. The area around his heart and his entire arm from the shoulder that Rayla was reaching out to was also transparent, exactly like Rayla’s. Ezran’s mind was in total panic. Was Callum saying that him and Rayla were somehow dying or was this supposed to symbolise something else? And why was Francis looking so caught out? Why was he looking to the side?

The sudden groans of the still sleepy Callum made Ezran jump, as he slammed the sketchbook shut and immediately dropped it to the ground. It still hadn’t woken Callum up, as he turned a little to his side, facing his younger brother now. Ezran took a deep breath, trying to put up a bright and cheery outlook. Just as long as his brother hadn’t noticed anything amiss with him, then it would suffice for now. Despite everything, it was still hard to pull it off. Even in his sleep, Callum looked like a raincloud that dampened the mood.

“Good morning, Callum,” Ezran tried to sound lively, but it came across as extremely formal and tactful. Callum only groaned in response. “Callum, wake up!” Ezran tugged at the sleeves of his pyjama top.

Callum groaned and finally exited his slumber. His eyes immediately suffocated Ezran’s upbeat pretence he was trying to put up. They were red, puffy and there were bags underneath them. It was as if he hadn’t slept at all. “I’m coming,” he mumbled weakly and groggily. He didn’t say another word, as he got up.

Well, that certainly muddied Ezran’s mood further. He waited for a bit, hoping that this time Callum would say something, but alas to no avail. Ezran turned around to leave for the dining room. As he was leaving, he suddenly heard Callum’s hurried footsteps. When Ezran turned around, he saw him rush over to Rayla’s side of the room, towards that chair by her desk. He rotated it back exactly to how Ezran found it before. Callum suddenly stood still, his head slowly tilting towards the door. Before he would get caught, Ezran quickly took his leave.

* * *

Jelly tart breakfast served by Barius was one of the best things Ezran could ever ask for. In fact, whenever he wrote back to Francis there would always be a passage about jelly tarts and it wasn’t uncommon to find jelly tart handprints on the said letter. It was almost becoming some sort of a tradition to Ezran, like a personalised king’s seal. Inevitably Francis always would respond back about how too much sugar was bad for your teeth and that diabetes was a high possibility. Bait lamented that these comments always ruined the mood for him, so much so that whenever Ezran read out the letter to him, Bait would groan and roll his eyes. It was becoming so predictable that Bait would finish his sentences for him. In any case, Ezran wouldn’t be able to contain his excitement for the day as he constantly mulled over what he would write back to Francis.

Today however, Callum’s sorry state was even more acute than ever and Ezran couldn’t focus on anything else apart from him, especially with what he saw in that sketchbook. His hunched posture resembled a waning wax candle with its light about to be snuffed out. He constantly looked to the side away from Ezran and Soren, who had a personalised so-called ‘high protein’ diet. The only time his gaze was broken was when he would momentarily glance at the empty plate in front of him. He barely spoke, he barely touched his cutlery, he barely ate. In fact when he did speak, it was mostly the curtest and simplest of responses to any question addressed to him. He never initiated any conversation and he certainly didn’t talk about Rayla.

When Ezran thought about it more carefully, he realised that Callum hadn’t spoken to him about Rayla since his time at the Nexus and he certainly had no knowledge of Callum telling anyone else about it. It had already been months and Ezran only saw Callum getting worse and worse over that letter and feather. The fact that it was worse the next day wasn’t even surprising anymore. Soren certainly found it so normal that he casually pointed it out loud during breakfast, without a shred of self-restraint. Maybe it was finally time to go over it and talk about it?

“So, Callum,” Ezran began. Callum didn’t even budge to look at him. “I have received another letter from Francis.” Ezran saw Callum turn to face him, but his eyes still remained heavy and absentminded. “He talks about that place in Eastern Xadia Aunt Amaya has been visiting a few times – Lux Aurea.” This month she was away, vising Janai and helping with the restoration of it. Ezran could have sworn that he saw Callum’s eyes flicker. “And he mentions a bit about Sun Magic, as well.” Callum’s flickering eyes were a little more alight now. It actually brought a smile to Ezran’s face… but it wasn’t for long.

“Cool.” He said, the light quickly disappearing from his eyes. Ezran’s shoulders drooped at that. Maybe he needed to be a little more present with the subject?

“Callum, aren’t you going to eat?” Ezran asked, referring to his untouched and empty plate.

“I’m not hungry,” Callum mumbled, looking away from him. For a moment, Ezran could feel something… something very new and very familiar at the same time.

“Callum, I barely see you eat anything these days.” He pressed.

“Good, that means there is more protein for me!” Soren exclaimed merrily, munching loudly and digging into more slices of meat.

“Ugh, that’s not the point Soren!” Ezran was genuinely annoyed and almost angry at Soren’s comment.

“What? What’s the point of letting good meat go to waste?” Soren shrugged his shoulders. “Besides, I need it for my high-protein diet. Francis did point out that my calves were still a little weak.”

“Callum, how come are you not hungry?” Ezran asked, ignoring Soren’s comments.

“I’m just not, okay?” Callum replied, crossing his arms.

Once again, Ezran felt something pass in his mind. It was that familiar experience, connection, he got when an animal was communicating with him… but Bait wasn’t anywhere near him! He was out at Barius’s getting more jelly tarts.

Ezran was about to press Callum more directly, but he was cut off. “Would you just stop already?” Callum raised his voice, losing control over his emotions. “I don’t want to talk about it!”

“Callum, please…” Ezran was persistent.

“Drop it!” He slammed his fist into the plate, sending it flying off of the table.

That feeling, that connection was suddenly clear as day for Ezran. As he flinched, he could feel and understand exactly what Callum was feeling. His mind was drowned in Callum’s thoughts and emotions – anger, grief and sadness. They were so rampant and vicious that Ezran felt like he was being pummelled by them. He couldn’t comprehend a way that all of these unbearably heavy feelings were from a single source. There had to be something else, other than Rayla’s disappearance that tugged at Callum’s heart strings.

“Woah there Callum,” Soren was looking at him with wide eyes. “If I didn’t know better, it is as if you’re a little upset. You almost gave me a haircut with that plate.”

Ezran was a little too taken aback by the reaction to scold Soren for how oblivious he was. Despite the insensitive nature of Soren’s words, Callum went back to being more docile and immediately Ezran’s senses of invading emotions went away. Callum was looking to the side, sitting more uncomfortably now. His elbows were on the table and his clasped hands hid his face. He didn’t have to say it, but Ezran could see that he was sorry for his outburst.

“It’s about Rayla, isn’t it?” Ezran decided to try and press him one more time. Callum only looked away, resting his temple on his knuckles. “I’ve been meaning to ask you, Callum. Why haven’t you left to chase after her?”

Callum sighed deeply and turned to face him, letting his nose rest on his knuckles. His eyes went narrow, as his gaze etched into Ezran’s face. “Have you forgotten, Ezran?” He asked. Ezran froze to his seat, unsure of the meaning of those words. “Let’s just say that I have a promise to keep.” Callum sneered, looking directly at Ezran, before his eyes stared downwards and he hung his head.

At first, Ezran was clueless, but then he remembered. Callum and Rayla didn’t just come back because they needed a break from their adventure. They were here to help, Callum promised him about it back when Ezran decided to return to Katolis. It was for that reason that Callum attended every single council thus far without fail, as he stood by Ezran’s side.

Ezran fell silent, he didn’t know what to say. He really did appreciate Callum’s support, even if it was stunted due to his feelings and yet Ezran also saw how hurt Callum was. He yearned to see Rayla again and he wanted to find her… and so did Ezran. They both missed her. In the end it was Callum’s decision to chase after her or stay with Ezran and if he stuck with the latter, then Ezran wanted to make sure that it would become easier for him.

“You’re magical…” Callum mumbled, breaking the heavy silence. “Everything is magical about you. Why isn’t there a spell that could help me track you?”

Ezran felt a heaviness in his own stomach. If only he had an idea of how Callum could track Rayla, maybe then he finally would smile.

“About this tracking spell,” to everyone’s surprise Soren interjected with a cautious tone in his voice. “I don’t really know how she did it or what exactly she used.” He went pensive for a second, as if he tried to call on his memory. His considerate manner suddenly dropped when he shrugged his shoulders. “Anyways, I’m way too cool to cheat and use magic.” Ezran’s mouth became small, as he pouted at that. Soren regained his cautious tone. “Basically, when Viren sent us after you, in order to track you, Claudia did a Dark Magic spe…”

“Don’t tempt me, Soren!” Callum cut him off with a stern cold expression, that immediately silenced him. “I will never use Dark Magic again, so whatever you were proposing – that’s out of question. If anything, it has to be some sort of Primal Magic.”

“I’m not the wizard boy here.” Soren dug back into his food, loudly slurping his tea.

Ezran suddenly jolted his head. He almost forgot that Callum was a mage. How could he? How was that even possible? Actually, in retrospect, it wasn’t too surprising. Callum hadn’t practiced magic at all, since he returned to Katolis. Ezran thought that maybe that could make Callum’s life a little easier, seeing as how the simple mention of magic made his eyes flicker earlier.

“Hey, Callum,” Ezran smiled.

“I don’t want to talk about it anymore. Enough of the ‘big feelings time’ for today.” Callum stood up and was heading to the exit door.

Ezran shot up from his chair. His brother finally engaged in a conversation for once, so he had to use this one chance before he would close up again. “Look, I know that you care a lot about her…”

“I love her.” Callum sharply turned and stared unwaveringly into his eyes, almost making Ezran flinch.

“Love her, yes, but you can’t waste away like this, festering over her letter and the feather she left.” Ezran pointed out, hoping it wouldn’t come out too unkindly. He was trying to help, after all. “You can’t keep doing this to yourself! There are things out there that need to be done, life out there to live. Didn’t you want to learn more magic? Maybe it’s time to,” he trailed off, figuring out how to put it lightly. “Well…”

“Move on?” Callum asked dubiously, making Ezran squirm from the intonation.

“No,” Ezran replied quickly. “I meant to say: focus on _yourself_ , on _your_ needs, on _your_ life.”

“What are you suggesting?” Callum asked, sounding a little sceptical. At least he didn’t walk away; he was listening.

“Last time you tried to distract yourself!” Ezran recalled their voyage on the Ruthless. “How about you do just that?”

“With what?” Callum didn’t catch on, forgetting that the solution was already mentioned by Ezran. “It’s incredibly hard to distract myself from this.” He spread his hands as widely as possible. Was he trying to point to the entire castle? “Don’t you think I tried? I would say it’s almost impossible and too big to ignore.”

“Callum,” Ezran switched his tone to sound more mischievous. “Can you show me a magic trick?”

“Huh?” Callum stared at him wide-eyed.

“I want to see you do magic!” Ezran clapped his hands excitedly and saw a momentary glint in Callum’s eyes.

“Why can’t you be this excited to watch and help me work out and do one hundred press-ups?” Soren lamented.

Callum scratched the back of his head. “Oh, I’m not really sure if…”

“Come on, it’ll be fun!” Ezran ran over to him, grabbed his jacket sleeve and dragged him to the exit doors. “And it stopped raining, so there are no excuses!”

* * *

The frigid cold sunk its teeth into the pair of brothers that were in the castle’s courtyard. While the younger looked to have easily ignored the nuisance, the other grumbled.

“Come on, Callum!” Ezran shouted. “Show that stormy weather who the real thunderstorm here is!”

“Okay, Ez, just calm down, please.” Callum grumbled with exasperation.

He flexed his shoulders, side eying Ezran nervously. It wasn’t entirely surprising, since he hadn’t practiced magic for months now. Still, no matter the things Callum had been through, he was the same messy ball of nerves he had always been. Though Ezran couldn’t deny that his confidence certainly grew after the adventure.

Ezran watched his brother close his eyes, raise his hands and take a deep breath. He looked way more relaxed right now and he certainly had a more content look about him. As he was about to trace the lightning rune, Ezran saw his hand shake slightly and his face frowned for a split second. Ezran suddenly could read overpowering and bitter anger in his mind… but it was an emotion coming entirely off Callum. Just like that, when his brother’s face relaxed, the emotion was gone. What exactly Ezran was experiencing, he couldn’t quite fully understand nor explain. Yet the way he read that felt awfully familiar in the same way it did earlier during breakfast.

Putting his deliberations to the side, Ezran watched Callum carefully and gradually trace the electrifying rune. Ezran immediately frowned. The bolts within the rune seemed unstable, as the shaky rune flickered. The usual electrical heatwave that always came off during that spell felt mild at best. Ezran hoped that maybe he was just imagining things or that maybe his brother was a little rusty.

Callum finally finished tracing the rune. “ _Fulminis!_ ” He shouted and a single spark jumped between his hand and the rune, as it was sent into the air above them. They heard a rather muffled clap of the lightning spell. He flinched, taking a step backwards. “No, that’s not it!” He suddenly began to maniacally trace rune after rune and casting a spell after a spell.

So what Ezran saw wasn’t a figment of his imagination. The spells seemed weaker and they certainly turned out weaker than when they used to be. No matter how many times he casted the spell, they didn’t seem to improve.

As Callum went on a rampage of spells, Ezran was being overpowered with that feeling of bitter anger again. It was so strong that words were accompanying the emotion. They almost floated around in Ezran’s head, like they were thoughts. _You’re not good enough! You lost it! We were supposed to do it together! She promised we would do this together!_

“Stop thinking about her.” Ezran blurted before he could stop himself.

“What did you say?!” Callum sharply turned to him with daggers in his eyes. There was a sudden gale that picked up like a whirlwind around him, sending Ezran off his feet. When he looked up, Callum was menacingly and slowly approaching him, as lightning sparked around from him into his surroundings. Fuelled by rage, he raised his finger and lighting bolts began to jump from it into the ground. “You don’t. Say anything like that. About her. Ever.” When Callum was almost towering over him, some of the lightning bolts began to hit and hurt Ezran. He let out a cry.

Callum jumped backwards with a horrified look on his face, his sudden outburst dying down… and everything that came with it stopped immediately. He sunk to his knees with a hand over his mouth. “What have I done?” He crawled over to Ezran, who was still twitching slightly as a tiny lightning bolt jumped between his standing hair strands. “I’m so sorry, Ezran! I didn’t mean it… I just lost my cool.” He hugged Ezran tightly and protectively, sighing heavily. “I was so excited to do Sky Magic again, but all I ended up doing is realising that I’ve lost it and then I hurt you. I’m so, so sorry. I will never do magic ever again.”

“No, Callum, you can’t!” Ezran hid the shakiness in his voice. “You can’t give up on something that felt so right!”

“But if I can’t do it and all I end up doing is hurting others, then surely I have to stop it.”

“No, Callum, please don’t stop. This was an accident.” Ezran got out of Callum’s grasp and got to his feet. “I must apologise too: what I said was insensitive. I should think through better next time.”

“How did you know?” Callum asked, not fully able to hide the tension in his tone, as he also got on his feet.

“I just guessed,” Ezran bluffed. The truth was that he didn’t know how he could tell. He wouldn’t be able to explain it anyway, so he thought it would be best not to mention it. “In any case, what I was meaning to suggest was to try and switch your mind off – go completely blank.” Callum stared at him inscrutably. “Please, don’t stop because of me,” Ezran begged. “Please, just keep trying.”

“I just don’t want to end up hurting you again,” Callum hung his head and looked to the side.

Ezran could feel his own eyes glinting in mischief, as he smirked. “If you feel so guilty and want to make up for it…”

“Oh, please, not the jerkface dance.”

“… then promise me to not stop doing magic.” Ezran looked cheekily at his brother. He was certainly not expecting Ezran to catch him out like that. He had no choice but to accept.

“Okay, Ez, I will.”

“Great, then let’s continue!” Ezran urged him. Callum looked uncertainly at him. “I’m fine, just try it.”

“You’re saying to have my mind go blank?” Callum double-checked. Ezran nodded. “Okay, here goes nothing.”

This time Ezran saw Callum draw the wind-breath spell. He already noticed that winds inside the rune moved extremely slowly and as soon as Callum breathed in, he didn’t see a lot of it enter his nose or mouth. As soon as he casted the _Aspiro_ spell, there was barely enough wind to ruffle Ezran’s hair.

“It seems weaker, Ez.” Callum stated the obvious. “In fact,” he quickly drew the _Fulminis_ rune. He didn’t need to finish it for Ezran to see that everything was way less energetic than it had been previously. The lightning bolt barely travelled a few metres and the clap was barely louder than what Ezran could make with his hands. “It’s much weaker.”

“You somehow don’t seem too surprised by that.” Ezran pointed out.

“Well, I remember Ibis saying that casting spells comes from within, and that knowing which emotion or feeling is associated with the spell could make it easier, especially if they are complex.”

“Switching your mind off completely does seem to be the opposite of that.” Ezran conceded.

“Huh, maybe…?” Callum uttered absentmindedly. “Let me try something.” He turned around, closed his eyes and took another deep breath. He traced the lighting rune… and it glowed so brightly it reflected in Ezran’s eyes. Lightning bolts began to crack around the rune and Callum’s hand. Ezran saw Callum’s back straighten and… were his lips twitching upward?

“ _Fulminis!_ ” He exclaimed, drawing his hand back and pointing it up in the sky. The lightning erupted from his hands, shooting upwards and splitting into different directions, as a deafening noise exploded from it. “I…” Callum drew another rune, before finishing that sentence. “ _Aspiro!_ ” Gales of wind expelled from his mouth, causing Ezran, who was a little behind Callum, to get lower. “I… I did it!” Callum puffed his chest.

Ezran nearly teared up, when he saw the long forgotten sight of his brother’s smile. However he was doing more than just that. He was giddily jumping up and down and his green eyes were alight. They were burning brightly, as if something was rekindled.

“I’m so happy for you, Callum!” Ezran grinned. “Now, you can finally give me a ride on your wings.”

“What? No!” Callum protested.

“You never let me ride on them!” Ezran whined.

“Didn’t you get that from Phoe-Phoe and Pyrrah?”

“None of them are my brother!” Ezran pointed out. “Come on, please, just this once!” He pleaded, when he saw an uncertain look in his brother’s eyes.

“Ugh, fine.” Callum conceded.

“Yay!” Ezran clapped his hands.

“But you absolutely must wear my jacket; it will get cold quickly.” Callum insisted.

“What about you?” Ezran asked, as he obediently put his brother’s blue jacket on.

“My spell covers that for me,” Callum grinned, as he spread his arms. “ _Manus, Pluma, Volantus!_ ” The painted white runes on his arms began to glow a sky-blue, as feathers quickly grew across his entire arm. Callum brandished a pair of beautiful brown wings.

“Woah!” Ezran’s jaw dropped. “They are bigger than you… and you never even bothered to show them to me once!”

“Are you going to complain or are you going to actually take a ride?”

“Right, right.” Ezran quickly climbed on Callum’s back.

“Hold on tight!” Callum ran and jumped for lift-off.

A wave of chilling air rushed past Ezran’s face, as he saw the people and buildings beneath him get smaller. They flew in circles around the castle, perhaps even giving some people a scare when they whizzed past a window. Lady Opeli would certainly not approve and certainly scold the both of them. Ezran spread his arms and screamed in elation as he got a rush of adrenaline. Since his brother was much smaller when compared to Pyrrah and Phoe-Phoe, this almost felt like Ezran was the one that was actually flying. It felt closer and more real. He felt like Zym when he was trying to learn how to fly.

“Ez, I thought you’ve already done this?” Callum asked. There clearly was a heart-warming smile present in his voice.

“None of them were my brother!” Ezran remarked. “And it never gets old!”

“Both of those statements are very true.” Callum pointed out wryly.

* * *

They spent a good ten minutes, before Callum circled around the balcony to Ezran’s chambers and landed on its edge. Ezran tied the blue jacket around Callum’s waist, as he used his soft wings to give him warmth from the late autumn’s cold breeze. They dangled their feet off the edge, as they stared at the slowly setting sun.

“The wings are so soft and warm.” Ezran murmured, feeling almost lulled by them.

“Right?”

“Can you feel my fingers whenever I touch any single feather?”

“Pretty much, although I never really paid any particular attention to it.”

“Wait, do the feathers just go away on their own after a while?” Ezran asked.

“No, I tell them in my head when I don’t need them anymore.” Callum told him.

“So let me get this straight: you get to grow big beautiful wings, allowing you to fly… and you don’t have to groom them at all?” Ezran exclaimed. Phoe-Phoe told him before that that was by far the worst part about having wings. It was constant, laborious and monotonous maintenance. Callum nodded in response. “That is so good!” Ezran could imagine Phoe-Phoe’s jealousy right about now.

“I know.” Callum smiled warmly, before continuing. “Thank you, Ez. I think this was maybe what I needed all this time.”

“Callum,” Ezran hugged him. “I’m always here to help and I really do appreciate your support always. But after all this time you spent in Katolis, I don’t want you to see you neglecting yourself like that for the sake of me ever again.” Callum didn’t reply back. He was just staring calmly into the distance… to the East. “May I ask you something, Callum?”

“Depends on the question.”

In truth, Ezran had many questions. What especially concerned him was the source of Callum’s grief, anger and sadness. Was it really just Rayla? In the end, he decided to save that conversation for another day. For now, he decided to keep the light atmosphere and focused on the positives. “What exactly did you think of before you successfully did your spell?”

“That’s a mage’s secret,” Callum snorted. “Besides, I can’t keep telling you everything. You do occasionally have to find things out for yourself.”

“You sound just like Francis whenever he’s holding out on me.” Ezran complained lightly.

“And he’d be right in pretty much all of those occasions.” Callum told him. “Speaking of him, how is he?”

“Oh, he’s ‘splendid, but feeling great otherwise’ as he put it.” Ezran recalled, as Callum chuckled. “He said that he was back at Lux Aurea and that they had to fix one last thing, before the restoration was complete.”

“So he didn’t get much of a break then?”

“He’s a powerhouse with an infinite supply of energy and enthusiasm. He never needed a break anyway.” Ezran replied.

“Even after spending four years travelling the entire continent prior to our adventure and then managing every day to keep us all alive and going?” Callum asked.

“Yeah, true. But we’ve met him; he is relentless.” Ezran said. Callum shrugged his shoulders and dropped his concerns. “By the way, I finished reading his letter, so I can give it to you.”

“Yes, please.” Callum replied without hesitation.

Ezran quickly ran into his room to retrieve the said letter that he left on his desk. He neatly folded it and ran back to the balcony. To his surprise, Callum was standing on the handrail and facing him when he returned. His jacket was flapping from the blows of the cold wind, reminding Ezran of the serious drop down below.

“Here you go,” Ezran said, looking a little worried.

“Thank you.” Callum replied, when Ezran tucked the letter into his pocket. “And now, how about an exit?”

He fell backwards and when Ezran looked over the edge, Callum had already pulled up and was flying away to land on his balcony. That certainly looked fun and it almost made Ezran jealous. He onlooked as Callum disappeared into his chambers, looking like he was living again. He truly was reinvigorated and it only helped Ezran in becoming more and more giddy. If Francis was here, he would probably describe Ezran as ‘brighter than the midday sun’… and he would totally be right.

* * *

The upbeat atmosphere went away as soon as Callum stepped back into his room and the howling emptiness, made worse by the damning draft, reminded him of the absences once more. Even the letter he was holding was of someone who wasn’t here. At first he thought that reading the letter would keep him distracted just that little bit longer, but as soon as Rayla was brought up in that letter, the anger and sadness came back. For the past several months all that name did for him was remind him of that _one_ moment, that _one_ incident. The anger he got from that completely misjudged and overpowered the actual person behind it and the feelings he had for her.

When he performed magic, he was able to take a step back and remember that magic was always what made him happy. Yet he also got reminded the emotion that strengthened his spells – love. She had been able to make him happy too. He finally was able to ignore and momentarily forget about the pain she brought upon him when she left as he focused on what truly made that connection with her so special. Despite the sour undertones that wouldn’t go away any time soon, he was able to keep them out by thinking how his eight year old brother was trying to help him, because he loved him and was worried about him. Even Francis, who despite not being here and the distance that was between them, always reminded Callum how much he cared about all of them. It really felt like he was always here with them at the castle. His infectious spirit and powerful aura translated perfectly from the letter… and to think that Ezran still didn’t tell him about Rayla… or how rough it had been on Callum. The kid had a big and considerate heart. Callum remembered that when they departed the Storm Spire, Francis’s melancholic pain was written on Ezran’s face. He knew his younger brother didn’t want to hurt the now somewhat lonely Francis in any way shape or form… and neither did Callum. He just like Ezran, really wanted to reunite and help him… but how, he wasn’t sure.

For the first time in a while Callum felt a sense of ease within him, as he released some of the bottled energy he had. Even if Rayla was partly the source of his anger and sadness, she was also part of the solution to easing it. In reality, the castle drained him so much to the point that he wasn’t doing anything productive all this time. All he got reminded of in this castle were the loud absences of everyone he loved. In fact, right now, as he spent many hours in his room, he could feel the castle slowly sucking everything out of him again, constantly beating over his head with their missing presence. It was mercilessly taunting him almost to the point of it being sadistic.

Now, as the mocking moon shone on a rare clear night sky, it reminded him of her. Rayla’s brilliant white hair and shining violet eyes vividly stared at him. Her crescent tattoos underneath those shining and crinkling eyes, smiled in concert with her lips. “Hey, Sad Prince,” he could imagine her saying it.

“ _Your_ Sad Prince,” Callum mumbled. “He is here… but you are not.” He sighed, hanging his head. “How could you?” He could hear telling himself in his mind that he simply wasn’t good enough, but he quickly put that notion down. That attitude led him to spending these awful months in such a state. Callum decided, he wasn’t straying off the path any longer. His brother was right, if his heart was vying for her, then he needed to listen to it.

“All I get from this place is the loud empty absences of my mother and father… you have joined them too.” Callum suddenly was almost shouting defiantly at the moon. “Although you are all still in my heart, my parents are the only ones who are gone; you are just missing. I must hold onto those who are still here! My heart will seek you out!”

He returned the challenging stare to the moon, suddenly feeling as if he was standing up again to that assassin leader Runnan. Back then the moon was also full… and Rayla was standing with him too. For no apparent reason at first, he started to wonder why exactly she led them to the castle walls, to those specific battlements… and then he remembered: “ _He’s there. I can feel it._ ”

Francis always told him that Moonshadow elves were reclusive creatures, but Rayla always emphasised their sense of collectiveness and unity, even above their personal needs. Their share of magic, that connection to the same Moon Arcanum, allowed them to feel the presence of their brethren. The better they knew the other person, the stronger the feeling was. It was kind of like the freakishly clairvoyant ability Francis had, when he could tell which one of his friends were approaching him without even looking. Although he always had a more reasonable explanation that he always mentioned last, he did tell them about sometimes feeling other people’s auras. Although that was of slightly different, maybe of more innate or psychic nature… or so Callum thought. He didn’t quite understand it fully, if not at all.

Regardless, that ‘connection’ also explained how Callum could faintly feel Ibis’s presence sometimes and it gradually got more recognisable to Callum as time went on. It was a shame he didn’t get to learn more spells from him after The Battle. However, in this situation Ibis was irrelevant, considering he was a Sky Mage and not a Moon Mage. Callum did however know of one Moon Mage, with whom he was on good terms, despite his antics a few months earlier. It was perfect that her role as the sole guardian of the Moon Nexus meant that she could never leave the Cursed Caldera.

With the new-found understanding now firmly planted in his head, Callum knew what he had to do. He spent hours making sure that his side of the room was just as spotless as Rayla’s and that everything was put back in its place. It would be unbelievably rude of him to leave it a mess… besides, cleaning up was long overdue for months. However, his desk which was plastered with sketches involving Rayla was left as it was. Out of the entire mess, he picked different books and items of clothing that he thought might be useful and stuffed them inside his backpack.

After he finished double-checking for anything else to take, he sat by his desk. He neatly folded Francis’s letter on the table and ripped a page out of his sketchbook. He had the strongest of urges to depart immediately, so he wanted to leave a letter for Ezran and explain where he was going. He also had nothing else to add since the conversation they had earlier. After all, it was his brother that helped remind him that he had a passion for magic, making him promise to never stop doing it. Only now however he realised his brother’s cleverness. He made him promise that he wouldn’t stop doing magic. In other words, he had faith that Callum would find a way to track Rayla and he inadvertently told him that it was okay for him to leave the castle. In fact he practically forced him to make that decision before he was even presented with it, leaving him now without too many doubts or hesitations. Callum shook his head with a wide grin on his face. What a cheeky little kid, he was too clever for his age.

Satisfied with the message he left for Ezran, he placed it right next to Francis’s letter so that there was no way he would miss it. He opened the balcony doors and felt the freezing cold night bristle at his bare arms and face… of course, it was nearly winter and the middle of the night after all. He packed his jacket and shifted his scarf to cover his nose and mouth. He clutched Rayla’s letter and Phoe-Phoe’s feather one last time, before putting them in his backpack as well.

“I’m coming Rayla.” He uttered, as he ran onto the balcony and jumped off the railings. “ _Manus, Pluma, Volantus._ ” He chanted, spreading his quickly forming wings and then flapping up into the sky. As he travelled East to the Cursed Caldera, the Moon watched over him, Illuminating his silhouette across the sky.

* * *

Total pain. All over. Viren’s consciousness returned, as he found himself on the ground at the bottom of the hill. This felt much worse, than when his daughter, Claudia, revived him after he fell from the Storm Spire. The fact that she did that was a frightening feat. However, just like that time, his mind was in total haze. He briefly remembered the moments leading up to his fall… they were horrifying. That… thing, that came out of the cocoon looked exactly like him, sending a chill down his spine even now. As the campfire burned, they wrestled over his staff. When the thing inevitably won, it pushed him over the edge.

“ _You weak fool! You were never needed… she was._ ” Those were the last words he heard, in his own voice as well, before being knocked out by crashing into trees, rocks and shrubberies. He was extremely badly cut and his arm was definitely broken, but at least he was alive this time.

He looked up at the hill, at the cave they resided in whilst waiting for the thing to come out of his cocoon. The cave was dark; they must have left as soon as he was tossed aside. Those last words made him think that he must have been used like a pawn… but how exactly and what did the thing make him do, he couldn’t quite recall. He remembered the Startouch elf in the mirror, Aaravos; he remembered taking over Katolis and going to the Storm Spire, with Aaravos speaking through this caterpillar thing that would later form a cocoon. Everything after that, his mind was in complete shambles… and his body was in pain. Was it just that the coin flip landed unfavourably for him?

When he tried to turn and get up, he felt his bag’s strap tug at his neck. Perhaps he had something that could fully heal him and alleviate this pain… and he had just that. The tooth of the Twin-Tailed Inferno-Tooth Tiger… he couldn’t remember how he got that. They had to go through the Sunfire elf territory to get to the Storm Spire, so maybe it was then that he got this? He winced from the anticipating pain and before he could psych himself out, he stabbed the sharp end of the tooth into his arm. He let out a loud yelp, as the world went purple again and he heard himself chant the spell.

 _Oh healing light, shine upon me and wash me off my injuries._ He heard in his mind, as his sights suddenly went dark. The tooth dissolved into his arm, causing a burning sensation across it, as the bone shards scraped back into their place. The burning sensation scorched through his body, burning away the bruises and cuts on it. Viren couldn’t stop himself from screaming, groaning and panting.

When the spell was over, the unbearable heat remained as a cumbersome weakness chained him to the ground. What was also strange was that his body was still in pain in some areas and his heart was racing in his chest unusually quickly. When Viren tried to sit up to inspect the painful areas, he began to panic. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t even lift a finger. He was paralysed. What was happening to him? He did his utmost best to move something on his body, but he was only able to do so after a few long, scary and painful minutes. He was able to move his digits and then his arms. The sensations in his body slowly returned.

Finally, he was able to sit up. His heart was still throbbing too quickly and he panted like an enraged banther. The heat presided, not looking like it would come off any time soon. He checked the painful areas on his arms and legs. He had to blink and rub his eyes several times. The spell didn’t heal him completely. There were still some bruises and cuts present. All of this left Viren absolutely nonplussed. He never experienced anything like this in his life nor had he ever heard a similar account from anyone before. Was his magic getting weaker? Was he getting weaker?

Either way, the night’s hostile cold was reminding itself through the spell’s heat now. He forced himself to get up to look for shelter. Since the cave looked abandoned now, it would probably be for the best to spend the rest of this awful and confusing night there. He actually wasn’t particularly looking forward to it, as the cave’s echoes would certainly remind him of Claudia’s absence. It would add more to this nightmare. Whatever happened to him before he fell from the Storm Spire didn’t matter, not as much as getting Claudia back from the hands of Aaravos.

* * *

He heard its fiery dark purple pulse pump pulsating venom into a ball. So powerful, so corrupting, so decaying, so dark. It once knew itself as a bright sun, shining down upon a bastion so beautiful and golden, but now it casted a nightly shadow over the stronghold. Very slowly, it felt its power’s devastating borders grow… a rate so slow no one would notice and when they did, it would be far too late.

Seven sets of footsteps, seven voices, seven heartbeats; it heard. They climbed up to it… to inspect it, to fix it. None of them knew the danger they were in. It flashed purple, its area engulfing in viscid purple-black withering smoke. Screams, seven screams… silence. Then… one heartbeat, one groan, one set of footsteps; it heard. A purple shadowy hole was pried inside the one.

It felt the Startouch one’s face twitch. He smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this look into what has been going on with most of people lately. We now have a second overarching mystery going on in this story, so stay excited for that! Most of the set up is done now and we start to slowly move into the meat of the story. We went through how the characters have been feeling after the adventure now we will look into some of the important changes that have been happening.  
> On the topic of magic, I'm not sure how the show exactly deals with the connection, but as you can gather in my fan fiction it has very strong emotional undertones and its effects and the relationship with the Mage get explained more in the next chapters. In Callum's outburst scene I imagined the same thing happening as we saw in the last episode of season 3 when Zym tries to wake his mother up, hence some of the basis I have for the emotional connection (+ love of course, that's also rather obvious in the show).  
> Thank you again for reading this, I really appreciate you taking the time to do it, leaving kudos, commenting and etc. You don't have to do any of it, since I'm doing this for my own enjoyment, but letting me know that you had a good time or telling me something specific you liked (constructive criticism is not discouraged) really warms my soul. Stay tuned for next Saturday when we explore the aforementioned changes to the world. I hope you'll have a good week and stay safe!


	4. For Whom We Stand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “The mind is the strongest weapon we possess. The power of the mind and the strength of our mentality is so incredibly endless, that even knowing that fact we still can’t fully comprehend it. However, those who can produce the products of their mind into and onto the physical world, are the leaders in our generation.”

The depths of night ruled outside the throne room’s grand windows, just like it was when Ezran went to retrieve Francis’s letter from Callum’s room, only to find an extra one from his brother. Today however, he was slumped on the throne with a single waning candle at his side, clutching his brother’s farewell letter. Whenever Ezran felt overwhelmed and down in spirits, he always recalled the same passage from Callum’s year and a half old message.

_I know you aren’t going to do it, but I must ask you to not write to Francis about this in your letters. He will be really worried and he should remain focused on doing what he wants and needs to be doing – securing a brighter and peaceful future for all of Xadia. We will too, once I learn Moon Magic and find Rayla. We will return to help then._

He followed his brother’s request and to this very day he hadn’t told Francis about neither Rayla nor Callum. He wanted to tell him in person, but unfortunately he was too busy with everything and in all honesty, Ezran was overworking himself lately as well. And so he remained silent over the Nexus and the day his brother departed. In fact, Ezran didn’t bring anything up from that day apart from one thing – the strange flurry of invading emotions and feelings he received from Callum.

Ezran was intrigued with Francis’s reply, that it might have been quite a little bit more than simple empathy. Of course, it was in Francis’s nature to constantly look for deeper meaning in order to fully understand something. He might have been liable to overthinking sometimes, but Ezran also had a feeling that there might have been more to his episode with Callum. However, all this time, he hadn’t really experienced anything like it again… at least nothing as close as that. There were a few moments here and there when he could faintly feel something, but it was too indiscernible. Those moments were however becoming more common and the feelings more palpable. Whenever Ezran pursued those feelings, his mind would quickly lose its ability to think straight. He would inevitably feel emotionally drained and would suddenly find himself exhausted and overwhelmed, like he was right now.

He took out Callum’s folded letter. Even if it was a year and a half since Callum left Katolis, the hope of him coming back and bringing about the tides of promising change never dwindled in Ezran. It allowed him to crack on with the task he had at hand as a king, even if he wanted to do anything else that was way more fun than deciding another petty thing.

There were just so many people who had issues and needed help. He knew he needed to be the one to sort it out, as king… but with every single passing day he grew ever more desperate to go away and do something fun and whacky: fly and play with Zym, sightsee Eastern Xadia with the only true expert – Francis (Rayla would feel indignant at that), get Callum and Rayla both to show him Moon Magic and just whatever other whacky nonsense Ezran could come up with. Instead he had a growing throbbing headache as he had to juggle everything that was being thrown his way.

 _Okay,_ Ezran thought to himself, holding his head and feeling nauseated by the ever growing ache. He couldn’t afford to forget anything. _I need to wake up early tomorrow, wash-up, have breakfast, help rule a case on petting the neighbour’s animals, decide whether that baker should be allowed to make his own pastry shapes, consider a law on time constraints of milking cows, not forget to meet with that old lady from the market, have lunch…_

“He’s here!” Corvus’s voice came from the entrance.

 _Great, I lost it._ Ezran groaned.

“Again?” That was Lady Opeli.

 _Can’t you see he’s busy!_ Bait croaked in defence of him.

“King Ezran, you are just like your father, but worse.” Lady Opeli lightly scolded him. “At least he came here to excogitate, not read under the dim light! Have you considered your eyesight?”

“I’m not just reading Opeli, I’m…”

“… thinking over the entire day tomorrow.” Corvus finished his sentence for him, standing there with crossed arms.

“Your Majesty,” Lady Opeli went evenly. “I’ve told you countless times before, that it is impossible to help everyone out there. You can’t remain focused on what matters, if you let petty things get in a way.”

“I know that they can get annoying sometimes, but helping others isn’t petty and it must be done.” Ezran argued. “Even if it includes meeting an old lady before lunch tomorrow! And I can’t just reject an elder like that, it would be disrespectful!”

Lady Opeli and Corvus both blinked at him in unison. “Have you forgotten, King Ezran, that you have a meeting with the nobles during the council tomorrow?”

If it wasn’t so dark in the throne room, you would have seen Ezran go incredibly pale. That alone just proved Lady Opeli’s point. He held his head in his hands.

“Ezran, that meeting is really important.” Corvus pleaded.

“I know,” Ezran sighed. Those nobles have been fervently pummelling the doors for a while now, demanding to speak with him. If remembering everything was a headache, then discussing anything with those nobles, felt like his entire skull was being crushed… or maybe his head was being chopped off. “And I somehow managed to forget.”

“You’re just tired,” Corvus told him. “Please, get some sleep so that you are ready for tomorrow’s meeting.”

Bait looked at Ezran. _I do want to sleep._

“But I must prepare for it! What if I forget to say something?” Ezran panicked.

“Considering the topic of the meeting, what’s really important in the moment will be said, so you certainly won’t forget it.” Lady Opeli said calmly. “Besides, if you really are worried, then you can practice in the morning on a clearer head.” Ezran stared at her, reluctant to go to sleep. She closed her eyes. “Don’t make me write to Francis and tell him all about how you are staying up way too late thinking over the pettiest of problems and not getting enough sleep.”

“All right, I’m coming.” Ezran conceded immediately, blowing out the candle and picking up Bait.

As they exited the throne room, Ezran immediately felt his father’s eyes watch over him. His grand and protruding posture stood tall in his coronation painting before him. Ezran stood still and looked at the tall portrait. It had been just a little over two years since his death and yet his spirit, his presence never went away within these castle walls. It probably never would.

It didn’t take long for Lady Opeli and Corvus to notice where Ezran’s wistful eyes were looking.

“Your Highness,” Lady Opeli spoke. “I must point out that you can’t delay taking your coronation portrait forever. We should arrange a meeting with the royal painter soon.”

Ezran looked at the empty spot next to the his father’s coronation portrait. A spot that was supposed to be filled out by his successor. “No, Opeli. I can’t… not yet.”

“Ezran, if I may ask,” Corvus interjected. “Why have you refused to have your coronation painting done?”

Ezran turned his head to face them. “Those paintings are for the history books, are they not?”

“I believe so.” Corvus nodded.

“If that’s the case, then I’m not ready.” Ezran replied.

“Whatever do you mean?” Lady Opeli asked, tilting her head.

Ezran looked back at his father. “I don’t know what kind of king I am. I haven’t done anything to know that yet. If that painting will be in the history books, then it must depict exactly what I stand for… and I’m not exactly sure of that yet.”

“Very well.” Corvus said, surprised by his answer.

“Well spoken.” Lady Opeli nodded. “I understand now. I will wait until you are ready then.”

“Thank you.” Ezran said, as he sighed and went ahead to his room. He had an issue that he needed to defend tomorrow… and a good sleep was in order.

* * *

The growing moon mockingly gazed through the opening of Lujanne’s temple at a meditating Callum. Feeling extremely stiff from not moving a single muscle for hours now, Callum was just about ready to call it a night. Except he wasn’t the one in charge of that. It was Lujanne his kooky teacher with her kooky wisdom. He did as he was told – reading rune books in the library and then spending a few hours meditating, as he carefully considered the moon’s position trying to get a feel for it.

Yet, he just simply couldn’t garner that feeling and with it, any spirits that were around him were missing too. His senses were extremely faint at best and absolutely unequivocally missing at worst. She kept telling him however that he was certainly getting better, as she had been feeling a connection developing in him. Only Callum couldn’t feel that… and he didn’t understand how.

The only thing that Callum could acutely feel was Rayla… or rather her absence. It was an awfully strong feeling, that caused him to be determined and hopeful, yet simultaneously upset and angry. Coming back to the place where she left him certainly wasn’t easy. In fact, every day he felt like a man torn in half, as his feelings would shift almost like the phases of the moon did. It was what mostly drove him all these days, a strange synthesis of feelings inside him that overpowered anything else. He sometimes wondered what she was feeling during her lonely voyage across Eastern Xadia. Oh how badly he wanted to feel where she was right now, so that he could find her. What would he do once he found her though? What then?

“Feel the spirits that are teeming within this place,” she told him, snapping him out of his thoughts. “The outcry of history and my predecessors that are traced through this very room.”

“Lujanne, I still can’t feel any of that.” Callum told her as if from memory.

“There are a few cheeky ones here tonight.” She remarked with a suspicious smile.

Callum would have gone stiffer if he could. “Maybe it’s best that I don’t feel them then.”

“Do you really still not feel anything at all?”

“No, for the past year and a half I still can’t feel it.” Callum sulked, drooping his shoulders. “I just don’t get it. I know the meaning of the Arcanum, you told me about it and I now understand it! Yet, I still somehow can’t do Moon Magic… that spark, the connection is not inside me; I’m not a mage. How? I did do it with Moon Opals before, so why after understanding the Arcanum I can’t do it all of a sudden?”

“Perhaps something changed in your life.” Lujanne stated rather than asked, looking expectantly at him.

Callum blinked at her. “What do you mean?”

“Is there something or _someone_ missing now that wasn’t when you used the Moon Opals?” Lujanne hinted.

“That has nothing to do with it.” Callum replied rigidly.

“How come?” Lujanne tilted her head. “Didn’t you come here because you wanted to find her?”

“Yes,” Callum replied rather bitterly. “But I also wanted to learn magic and she has nothing to do with learning it.”

“Quite the contrary,” Lujanne shook her head. “She is the only reason why you have been picking everything up so quickly.” Callum looked at her, surprised. “It’s the same reason why you picked up the Sky Arcanum first. You have been in contact with it enough times that it came so quickly to you, after you broke the Primal Stone. Being around her and me, exposed you to our magic and you have picked it up in just a few months.” Callum was staring at her wide-eyed. “Well, I also told you what our Arcanum means, so that certainly helped.”

“Wait, are you telling me that I have the connection to Moon Magic inside me? That I am already a Moon Mage now too?”

“Of course,” Lujanne replied nonchalantly. “Why do you think I have been giving you rune books from the library to read. That and the fact that you also understand the Arcanum.”

“What?” Callum’s face was ignited with ire. “And you didn’t tell me about it all this time?”

“In a true nature of a Moonshadow elf, you’ve hidden your strife from me all this time. I can only answer once I know where the problem lies and once you asked, I helped. Exactly like a certain Moonshadow elf did a couple of years ago. You are quite similar, aren’t you?”

“So please explain to me, how come I know the Arcanum and yet I still can’t perform it?”

“Callum, you know that magic comes from within us.” Lujanne told him calmly. “If not everything is fine at home, then nothing that you do will be fine outside of it.”

“I know that it comes from me,” Callum said, trying his best to control his anger. He couldn’t believe that he was a Moon Mage for such a long time and she just didn’t say a thing. He guessed that this was exactly what you got from someone like Lujanne. “But what do you mean when you say ‘within’?”

Lujanne looked at him inscrutably. Callum thought that for some reason she was surprised… and not necessarily in a good way. “You’ve been to Silvergrove, is that right?” She asked him. Callum nodded in response, although unsure of where this was going. “So you are aware of the dance ritual it has.”

“Yes, the Key.”

“You see, the Key is unique to every single resident of Silvergrove, but they all have one thing in common – it comes from within them; it’s a part of them. It’s the same with magic. Take the sun for example, it brightly shines upon everything around it, providing light to be reflected, just like the world provides magic for mages to use. Now look at the moon,” she pointed to the lonely and over bright resident in the sky, peeking through the opening. “It reflects the sun’s light but it also provides its own shy lunar light, that is not quite the same as the sun’s. It’s a perfect balance of using a powerful source and combining it with a unique and personal qualities.”

“But they are both extra-terrestrial though.” Callum said pensively, countering her slightly roundabout comparison.

“But one is closer and it is my Arcanum.” Lujanne argued.

“So, how exactly does it explain my inability to perform Moon Magic?” Callum asked.

Lujanne sighed. “No matter what, a mage is someone who is able to do magic through any states or channels, because part of the magic comes from within them. If their source is blocked, then he must have another way around it... and it’s not uncommon to abandon it.”

“No,” Callum stared at her wide-eyed. She wasn’t suggesting what he thought she was.

“Just think about it Callum,” Lujanne spoke calmly, as she stood up. “Is there another reason why you are doing this? Something that has to do with you and you alone.” She turned around and began to leave her meditation chamber. Callum thought that he should have been absolutely outraged at her implication and yet he didn’t feel that impulse so strongly. Could it be…? Lujanne stopped at the door and looked back at him one last time. “For now, you ought to get some sleep.”

Callum looked up at the moon. He really had a connection to her now… all this time he was qualified as a Moon Mage. Him and Rayla shared the connection to the same Arcanum now. Shouldn’t that have been a wonderful feeling? Yet something held him back. But how happy would she have been and what could they do now to pass time together? If only she was here in the first place. Callum turned away from the opening and went back to his chambers.

* * *

It was chasing him relentlessly and it was impossible to outrun it. Without his staff he had no chance of standing up against the beast, that had its small jaguar-like eyes devouring the Dark Mage’s body. Out of the beast’s mouth came the awful stench of death, as its claws readied to ravage Viren. He stared at the great beast in fear, there was no choice but to face it head on. It was a flip of the coin.

He had to be quick, he had to do something before the beast could. Using Dark Magic, he quickly summoned a fire ball in his right hand. Despite already feeling it burning his palm, he made the ball bigger, as the beast was of a formidable size. Flip of the coin. His vision went purple and his heart drummed in his chest. His knees buckled and the weakness that spread along his body encumbered his breathing, but he didn’t stop conjuring the spell. Flip of the coin. His eyesight went completely black before he was ready to fire it off. As he heard the beast pounce on its victim, he blindly shot the fireball and the impact sent him flying through the air. His mind was out before he had even hit the ground. Flip of the coin.

* * *

“You’re going to be fine, King Ezran.” He heard Lady Opeli trying to comfort him. “I know some of the nobles may be unpleasant and hostile, but as long as you stand confident in your words and ideas, you will fare well.”

“I know,” Ezran opened the doors to the throne room. “It doesn’t make things easier or less nerve-racking.”

Some of the nobles were already gathered in the room, before Ezran. As he made his way to his throne, they bowed, but he did not feel any sincerity in their movement nor were there any traces of it in their minds… at least, Ezran wasn’t getting any feelings of it. The jowls of the bigger men wobbled underneath their crooked noses, with one of them slyly smiling from underneath his creepy glance, while the unnatural smiles of other nobles were plastered across their staring mask-like faces. It sent the most apprehensive feeling down Ezran’s back, as he felt their eyes sink into his body and scrutinise every small detail to latch onto. He certainly held his back straight all the way to hide anything that could give them an opening.

He sat on his throne, huddling into it, as the noble’s wolfish eyes drew closer to him and his rigid demeanour. Despite the tension visible from the outset and the nervousness that reigned within him, he held on and didn’t let it out. As time went on and more nobles went in, he was barely breathing, blinking and moving, as he stared dead ahead over the pack forming before him.

“Ezran, are you alright?” Corvus whispered. “We’re here beside you; you’ll be fine.”

 _I’m here with you, too._ Bait croaked, as he sat on the throne’s armrest.

“I know,” Ezran managed to say evenly, still looking dead straight. “Unfortunately, it is me that they came to question and only I can answer them.”

“If I may, Your Majesty?” Lady Opeli interjected. “I am confident that you will be fine. You’ve done this before and there is only one person that could cause us some trouble.” As soon as she said that the last pair of nobles entered the throne room and the person in question was in the room.

 _Speak of the devil._ Bait croaked unimpressively.

“Of course,” Ezran sighed heavily. “Lady Lily.”

Lady Lily was a beautiful looking woman with straight and light brown hair that was braided behind her. She looked stunningly young for her actual age and she certainly beckoned all eyes to be on her at all times. Her rich Katolis red dress with long, white and golden patterned sleeves certainly demanded the room’s attention. Against the Katolis red background of the dress, a green pin with a golden letter G reminded everyone of the house she was from and the history of her family.

Her husband, Victor, who accompanied her like he was on a tight leash, was a rather ordinary looking man. In fact, Ezran once heard Francis describe him as the colour ‘white’, but rather than in a pure, brilliant and marvellous kind of sense, it was more like in an uninspiring, blankly bland and tasteless kind of way. In that regard, the black haired man with an indifferent and stale expression, certainly stood in sharp contrast to the blooming summer flower that was his wife.

Despite the flowery outlook that befitted her name, beneath all of that hid an intimidating kind of person. She had sharp facial features: straight nose, curt chin and defined jawline. Her brown eyes, as much as they were beautiful and made an impression on you, could sometimes be scary. They certainly left a very strong impression on you, especially when they went cold and then scanning up and down, scratching across you like pin needles. She was cold calculating, composed, cruelly competitive, controlling and forthright… a lot like Francis, which wasn’t surprising considering she was his mother. Yet at the same time, she was nothing like Francis. For him to be exactly like her, all of his warmth and kindness needed to disappear. It made that much of a difference.

Her eyes protruded immediately deep into Ezran’s soul, as it made him squirm internally.

“Everyone important is here now.” Came the unpleasantly obnoxious and squeaky voice of a short fat noble and councilman, whose mere presence sent nausea to Ezran… and that was before he even spoke or looked at him with his tiny eyes. By the demands of the nobility, that short fat noble, Councilman Chis, quickly replaced the traitorous Saleer, acting as a spokesperson and representative of the nobility in every council. Forever hunched, he looked like a ball of blue and red, as his robes drooped to the floor, covering his feet. However he was effective in getting a lot of things his way.

“Thank you, Chis.” The controlling voice of Lady Lily signalled for Chis to continue.

The fat noble turned to Ezran and slyly smiled at him from underneath his big crooked nose. He clasped his palms in front of his chin, revealing the golden rings with the rarest and finest of gemstones on his every single finger… and there were more than one on some of those fingers. “As the spokesperson of the nobility of Katolis, we wish to question your position on matters external to our kingdom.”

“I am well aware.” Ezran replied evenly, concealing the ever growing itch that was pure irritation. “What is exactly that you wish to speak about?”

“Well for starters, what is going to be your response to The Battle in which we and the whole of The Pentarchy were defeated and humiliated.” Chis tilted his head, managing to bulge it further forward.

 _Like he doesn’t know._ Ezran heard Bait’s thoughts. _That guy is thicker in more ways than one, but all of them bad._ Ezran closed his eyes and quickly exhaled, preparing himself.

“Oh, don’t tell me that still after all this time you are not going to fight back?” Chis pouted, interrupting Ezran, who could feel the ingenuine tones blatantly creep into his mind.

“We will maintain peace and build relationships with Eastern Xadi…”

“Ah, ah, ah,” Chis interrupted him, waggling his obese finger. “I believe the correct geopolitical term for that it just Xadia.”

“It’s _Eastern_ Xadia and that is how I am going to call it.” Ezran spoke defiantly.

“It is really so unbecoming of a king to be so lacklustre with such important terminology.” Chis shook his head, smacking his lips loudly.

“Chis, may I remind you that you’re challenging the king’s position and part of his position is appropriating the geopolitical term.” Lady Opeli glared at him. “Not to mention that you dared to interrupt him.”

“Oh, I need no reminders,” Chis raised his hands. “I just worry that no one else will use that term.” He unashamedly glanced at Ezran with a brazen smile.

 _The nerve on this guy!_ Bait grumbled.

Ezran clenched his fists and mentally took a deep and calming breath. “The world changes with time and so must we, lest we are left behind.”

“I’m ashamed our king is willing to let slide such a discrepancy.” Chis shook his head, as the whole nobility nodded. “We, the humanity, were humiliated at the hands of the elves and you want to show such weakness as to sue for peace.”

“Watch your words, Chis.” Corvus’s hand shot to his chain weapon at the hip. “We saved the world from a disaster and prevented the fall of humanity by a tyrant that was Viren.”

Chis cackled very loudly. “Don’t be so self-indulgent and delusional.” He wiped the tear from his cheek… or pretended to anyway. “What you did was help the elves stop our triumph and sure victory over them. One could easily equate that to betrayal and you to traitors to humanity.”

“Then I’m afraid we continue to stand different on this topic.” Ezran said trying to maintain what little control he felt he had, before the furious Lady Opeli or Corvus could jump in.

“Your inaction over this matter is very shameful and dishonouring to humanity and the people of Katolis.” Chis said with his eyes closed, as the nobility murmured in agreement. “Such a weak and powerless image.”

“If that is how you view it, then so be it.” Ezran said dryly, yet he couldn’t deny the feelings of hurt from that statement.

 _We animals are certainly proud of and support your inaction._ Bait comforted him.

Ezran continued. “I will continue to maintain peace and build up the relationship with Eastern Xadia.”

“Ah, ah, ah,” Chis interjected, waggling his obese finger and clanging the rings on them. “I’m afraid that is not going to be possible.”

“How so?” Ezran challengingly looked at him, narrowing his eyes at him.

“I’m afraid that you won’t garner any support, because you already broke your promise.” Chis pointedly shrugged his shoulders, loudly smacking his lips again.

 _That card again._ Bait groaned, thinking the same as Ezran. _Imagine how many jelly tarts we would have if we received one for every single time someone brought that up. Oh the levels of…_ Bait trailed off, as he didn’t want to necessarily utter the words a certain someone reminded him constantly about, but then eventually did so reluctantly and with a grumble. … _diabetes we would have._

Chis continued. “You’ve already abandoned your agenda after abdicating your throne in favour of a king who wanted to wage war against Xadia.”

“Firstly, _Eastern_ Xadia,” Ezran sternly corrected him, amidst the disapproving smacking of Chis’s lips. “Secondly, the circumstances were different back then.”

The nobility shook their head in unison. “No, they weren’t,” Chis spoke for all of them. “You didn’t have support then, just like you don’t have support now.”

“That is where you are mistaken.” Ezran stated. “Now, I have people, friends outside this kingdom who support me and want the same as I do.”

“No one particularly important or influential, methinks.” Chis snorted.

 _Wipe that annoying smile off his face, Ez!_ Bait glared at the despicable Chis.

“I believe Francis will help me tremendously with achieving this.”

“Him?” Chis uttered and stumbled, as he and the faces of every single noble quivered and went ghostly pale at his mention.

Ezran really wanted to gloat internally at that silent scene before him, that spoke a thousand words. Yet, he was more worn out and tired than triumphant. He was ready to just give all of this up and go do something fun and easy-going that had nothing to do with being a king or his kingdom.

The silence was interrupted by a cold sound of someone pointedly clearing their throat.

 _Not her._ Bait jumped off the armrest to hide behind it.

Lady Lily flicked her braid, that she was fiddling with so far, behind her back and looked right into Ezran’s eyes, that were slowly becoming panic-stricken. “I don’t actually believe that your stance on any of this has any ground.”

“W-what are you implying?” Ezran asked her, tightly gripping his armrests.

“I don’t actually think you’re the right person to claim and lead such an agenda at all.” She pointed out calmly. “Your step-brother performed Dark Magic. I do not think it is becoming of a person who is so-called pro-Xadia. Doesn’t really put a good image on your stance.”

“Callum is the first human mage to be able to perform Primal Magic!” Ezran protested. “Not to mention that his relationship with Rayla is direct proof of the possibility!”

“You sound as naïve and idealistic as my darling son,” she chuckled dismissively. Ezran suddenly felt something hover around his mind and he tried to concentrate on it. “And you both are oh so very misguided, it’s embarrassing to the whole of Human Kingdoms. If you say that their relationship is the direct proof, then where exactly are they?”

There was a cold mixture of confidence and apprehension in his mind coming from her. It was strong enough for him to discern the feelings. “They are not here.” Ezran finally muttered defeatedly.

“Incredible!” She chuckled derisively. “To thousands of commoners, you are sowing empty seeds of hope of a future that will never ever come, because it’s impossible.”

“Verily.” Chis squeaked in support, rubbing his hands together.

“You will rest your baseless attacks and insults on King Ezran right this instant!” Lady Opeli barked at her.

“On the contrary, they are not baseless.” Lady Lily smirked brazenly, somehow managing to mentally look down at Lady Opeli who was physically a few steps above her. Lady Opeli’s eyes were glaring so harshly that even without trying to concentrate on her mind, Ezran could understand that she was going to threaten to throw her out of the throne room and ban from any council meetings. Lady Lily seemed totally unfazed. “You unfortunately can’t throw me or my husband out. That would mean that my house won’t be allowed inside the throne room, including my darling son.” Her eyes switched to Ezran’s tense demeanour. “The King will not allow that to happen to such a close friend of his.”

She mercilessly stared at him, as he was totally caught out. _He is weak; I must press on._ Ezran could clearly hear her voice. It almost scared him that he suddenly could. That never happened before with anyone apart from Callum. His mind must have been in total overload.

He was being left open on his own and he wished to be anywhere and be anyone but the King of Katolis in the castle’s throne room. He needed to gather his composure and resolve. _Oh, Francis, you told me that I will have those days where as a leader I will be challenged and I must stand my ground. I will stick to it and I will not back down this time, no matter what. Please, just grant me strength and resolve right now._ He braced himself for another attack, as he concentrated on her as much as he could, praying to endure her slaughter.

“Face the truth, King Ezran!” Lady Lily pressed on, not even trying to hide the fact that she was slowly talking down to him. “Your brother and that vile elf abandoned you, because they realise perfectly well that you are blinded by this fantasy of yours.”

 _Or most likely, one that my darling son forced upon you._ Ezran could hear her thoughts clearly again, as he remained silent.

“Well, stop being so incapable of accepting the truth, because no one else wants whatever you want.” She finished. The nobility sadistically smiled, staring at Ezran to see his reaction.

“I’m sorry,” he spoke, feeling his confidence crumbling ever so slightly. “But humans and elves want to cooperate and that’s the truth. I will personally see to that prevailing as the truth and I will help deliver it across Xadia.”

 _I doubt that._ Ezran heard her thoughts. _Elves are the most vile and disdainful things out there and I would rather do anything else than come close to them, let alone deal with them._ It seemed that she was intent on opposing him on that front as much and for as long as possible.

“Come to think of it, running away seems to be the problem with the current royal family and the people that surround it.” Lady Lily went on nonchalantly, completely ignoring the deathly glares of Lady Opeli and Corvus. Ezran really wished they could stop all of this. “Your Highness ran away two years ago when your father was assassinated, then ran away again after he abdicated; your closest advisors, Corvus and Lady Opeli, did the same when High Mage Viren came in power; that dirty elf ran away, shortly followed by your brother running away a year and a half ago… not to mention, my darling son who is very well known for running away from his destiny and responsibility six years ago.”

“What is your point?” Ezran asked curtly.

“Image is crucial to any self-respecting royal or noble family. My point is that you and the people you surround yourself with have a proven track record of abandoning your stances and causes. Your image is failed promises and empty words!” She said harshly. “You have been telling us about building up those relationships, spilling nonsensical idealism and whimsical ideas… and all for nothing! You have been waiting for the past two years… and for what? What are you waiting for? Where is the progress?” Ezran was scarily silent. His body resigned to defeat, but his mind tried to fight it off. “Instead of looking outwards, how about you start paying attention to the Kingdom of Katolis and its people. Let’s start addressing what they really want: payback for such a humiliation, earlier conscription, more rigorous Pentarchy training programme! You’ve completely ignored that! You’ve lost your balance by looking at an unreachable idea and concept you want to happen but is never going to!” She stared at him unimpressively, scoffing loudly, much to the pleasure of the whole nobility that was there. “You should really focus on what your people want and need… unless you want to be dethroned again. Which reminds me that this agenda of yours lost relevancy as soon as you abdicated when you were challenged. You expect us to believe that this won’t happen again?”

“Lady Lily, you will seize this instant.” Corvus finally stepped in; he had enough.

“I’m only speaking the truth.” Lady Lily casually crossed her arms. “There was not a single lie in anything I said. The boy better realise sooner or later that the world is not all pretty and enchanting. He has to face the harsh truths of it.”

 _But I have,_ Ezran wanted to speak out, but couldn’t. The words just wouldn’t come out of his mouth. He knew some of the harsh realities; he faced them… but was it really enough and were they really that brutal? He recalled the strife Francis was in after The Battle, the shadow that remained on his face. After the whole adventure he looked like a heavy burden was lifted off his shoulders, yet the soreness and bruises of it remained. So was Lady Lily right then?

He sighed. This nightmare was getting worse and worse, as he really wished to stop existing right now. If only he could evaporate or run away… but that would only prove her point. He unconvincingly stayed his ground. “I still have a lot of lessons to learn and I’ve learned my lessons from back then. I will continue with my agenda I’ve set from the beginning.”

 _How impudent and selfish!_ He heard her mind burst. “I can’t believe this.” She scoffed loudly. “Haven’t you heard anything of what I just said? How can you still say that, even though during all of your responses you looked extremely uneven?”

“Even the Katolis towers are uneven, yet the castle is considered one of the most impenetrable ones.” Ezran replied, causing the nobles to audibly gasp. They certainly still remembered that line.

Lady Lily searched Ezran again. Her face might have been inscrutable but her thoughts about all of this gave her away, as she was certainly disappointed. “I appreciate what advisor Tana of Neolandia is doing. She would make a great Queen, because she does everything for her people and her people only.” She spoke with such confidence, that Ezran’s mind could understand that they have met before. “When she deals with anything outside, it is only when they are a threat to her and her kingdom and she would use anything or anyone, even come to her worst enemy if it helped her to eliminate the threat. Without her, Neolandia would be incredibly behind the rest of the Human Kingdoms, considering their harsh and unforgiving climate.”

 _Unfortunately for Neolandia, that fool Ahling survived the assassination attempt_. Ezran heard her finish the jarring sentence. He remembered Francis talking about Tana once and it was clear that he despised and was left scarred by her. The hatred also seemed equal when it came to her in terms of Francis, so to hear his mother praise and seemingly be on good terms with her was surprising, if not somewhat alarming.

“The meeting has run its course.” Lady Opeli said sternly. “You’ve got your final answer from the king.”

The sound of smacking lips filled the throne room again. “I’m afraid that this doesn’t end the way you want to.” Chis said without hiding a smile. “We, the nobility, are tired of waiting and not being heard. You either provide evidence of this so-called ‘connection’ and ‘relationship’ right now or you start doing what we and the people truly want. Be aware, if you remain foolishly stubborn, then we will look for a way to change your mind.” The triumphant eyes of his and the whole of the nobility sunk into Ezran’s body, as he sent that malicious message.

 _And just like all the previous times, he will fold again._ There was a smile present in Lady Lily’s thoughts. _All you need is even a tiny bit of pressure._

Ezran’s body shook slightly, as he was panicking inside. He hated everything about this and there seemed to be no way out. He had to make a tough decision right now?! How much he would have given to be and do anything but this right now. If only he could get away from being a king.

* * *

_You need to answer a simple question, Callum! Why are you really doing this? What do you want?_ He meditated in his room all night, beating himself up over those questions.

 _No! I came here because I wanted to find Rayla!_ He justified.

_Did you really? Do you think sitting in one spot for a year and half is called ‘looking for Rayla’?_

Callum opened one of his eyes. It was already sunrise, as its ray washed half of his face.

 _I’m doing this to find Rayla._ He reiterated.

 _It’s interesting you say that. Didn’t you spend months suffering by your brother’s side? At her hands, no less._ He conceded. _If you were doing this for Rayla, you would have never come back to Katolis._

Callum sighed. He really wanted to find Rayla – that was and would still remain true. Yet, he couldn’t deny the sad truth of those observations. Just like he couldn’t deny the sad truth of Lujanne’s suggestion that something about Rayla was blocking his output of magic. After all, it led him to this state, where he couldn’t perform Moon Magic.

_Think, Callum, isn’t there another reason why you went here? Why you’re doing this?_

* * *

“Do you know where we are?” Aaravos asked Claudia.

“This old, decrepit place? I don’t know, dad.” She replied. The fact that for the past year and a half she had no doubts over the true identity of the illusion of her father, made him smile widely.

“I’ll tell you about it someday.” He replied. The ‘old, decrepit place’ Claudia was referring to were ancient ruins of once a great city. Barely any walls stood the test of time, as previously half-destroyed buildings were a bunch of dust now. Although not looking particularly extraordinary, it certainly held a special place in Aaravos’s heart. The heavy air was drenched with weakened concomitant pulsating venom that was stopped long ago.

If only they listened to him first, he wouldn’t have had to go so far. He felt sorry for humans and their struggles from a lack of magic. All he wanted the elves to do was to listen and help him in his magnanimous and noble cause. Instead they sneered, scolded and shot him down without remorse. No matter what he told them, despite his persistence over the years, they refused to listen, going as far as to completely cast him out for a period of time.

Time would pass before he would realise the fundamental flaw of words. They could be taken back and could fall on deaf ears, if not misinterpreted. Words were weak without being backed up by action, for it was strongest and the only constant in the world. Those who did not immediately heed to that truth, were almost never given a second chance, no matter what they proposed.

Soon Aaravos would grow pitiful of the elves that opposed him, but their resistance would not ease and he would grow weary of them. Unfortunately, there would always be doubters and opposition, but what was always true on both sides was that as soon as there was one person that found the bravery to speak out, others would always follow. That would always remain true, as Aaravos was planning to use the same tactic again.

Yet, through his life he also discovered one more truth. In the end after all the strife and battling one would do, neglect and resistance from others would only lead to what one personally wanted from everything and everyone. They shifted their balance to focus entirely on themselves. And so he began to do things his way.

Aaravos made his way to the only building in the entire town that mostly stood the test of time – the castle. It was partly built into the mountain behind it, due to the town’s constricting sizes. Human ingenuity certainly never seized to amaze Aaravos. While parts of the wall and towers crumbled, the castle’s part that was built into the mountain was largely intact. That part housed a few chambers and the castle’s dark dungeons. This would be the perfect place to start his process.

“Father, may I ask you something?” Claudia asked and Aaravos nodded. “We’ve spent all this time waiting. What exactly for and how much longer?”

“You’ll see.” He replied. “In the meantime, remain patient, my daughter. We are nearly done waiting; it’s almost time.” _Soon, it’ll be time to do things my way._

* * *

Callum lowered his head as he thought very hard about everything. _You! Why are you doing this? Is there something that belongs only to you?_

The answer was slowly sparking inside of him. _Mage… I am a mage._

 _You love magic. You are the only human who possesses the ability to do Primal Magic. It is who you are._ He pursued the feeling that was steadily growing inside of him. Was it that connection he had been searching for?

 _I am a mage and what I want is to learn magic._ He felt a strong sense of spirits gliding in the air around him. That feeling, that connection – he could actually, finally feel it. It was there! It was exactly the same as the Sky Arcanum… yet the Sky Magic felt a little different now. He could almost say incomplete. At the very least he could feel the Moon Magic coursing through him now.

The room suddenly went darker and he heard shuffling behind him, as Callum stood up. “ _White lies are illusions you build with your words to protect the hearts of those you love.”_ Callum almost jumped out of his skin, when he heard her voice. Rayla’s nocturnal bluish outline was leaning over his bed, where his own outline was. He was witnessing her farewell. _“I’m sorry. You can’t come with me.”_ She whispered before kissing past-Callum’s crown. Callum subconsciously scratched that spot on his head, as his other hand reached out to her. She sighed and left the room, her outline going through him.

Callum’s head sunk as he clenched his fists. He stood there trying to calm himself back down, while the sunlight only shone on the bottom half of his body. He had to test out whether he could truly do it now. He quickly focused his mind on the first Moon Opal he broke, willing it into existence on his hand. The feeling of surprise and amazement were fairly faint, despite seeing its illusion appear on his hand. Unlike Lujanne’s illusions, his had a bluish hue coming off of it and it occasionally flickered… but he now truly had it, even if the magic felt differently than it used to before.

Callum turned around and packed his backpack, he was going to leave immediately. He would of course say ‘goodbye and thank you’ to Lujanne, after asking for a few more rune books to read. As he planned, he was going to go out and try to find her. Where across all of Eastern Xadia would she be? Where would he start? He didn’t have to think long, as he intently walked out of his spotless chamber. He could always ask someone’s advice about it. There was only one person in Eastern Xadia he knew of, who knew everything about it and could point him in the right direction and help find her. Thankfully, that person mainly stayed at the Storm Spire, which is where she had to have gone through. If Ezran kept his promise, then Francis would finally find out about what happened over the last two years, since they had seen each other.

* * *

“You need to make your decision right now, King Ezran.” Chis rubbed his hands, staring at him from underneath his cunning-looking eyebrows.

 _I want to get away from all of this!_ Ezran was screaming pleadingly in his head. He did not want to budge, but all of this was utterly destroying him and wearing him down. Their mere stares grilled his entire being to the point that he was crispy long ago and was burning out already… and the sneering smirks made it all worse. This wasn’t fair! Why would they not just give him a break? Why did they refuse to see the sense in his words? In that moment, he didn’t want to be a king, probably no one would. He just wanted to be a kid, so that no one needed to disturb him with any kind of business.

The doors suddenly burst wide open. “The letter to the King!” Crow Master announced.

“How dare you interrupt a Council Meeting?” Lady Lily barked words that Lady Opeli would usually say, but it seemed like this time she was more relieved by his unexpected entrance, rather than annoyed.

“It’s an official document, marked as ultra-urgent,” the Crow Master said hesitantly, feeling the disintegrating glare of Lady Lily. “And it is from someone the King requested to be always brought to him, without delay.”

 _Could it be?_ Ezran thought. Although he could probably guess, since he only made that request for his family and close friends, there was only one way to find out. “I will read the message immediately.”

Amidst the impatient grumbling, the Crow Master nervously handed Ezran the scroll. It had an unusual ribbon tying it together – a shining sky-blue colour. He blinked a couple of times: Duren – blue and white; Del Bar – green and brown; Neolandia – white, black and gold; Evenere – black and green. So where was this letter sent from? His question was immediately answered, when he flipped the scroll over to see the seal… and not just one, but two – the dragon’s tail and a calligraphic letter G. It was from Eastern Xadia; it was from Queen Zubeia and Francis.

Ezran’s eyes were definitely ignited with glee, before he even opened the letter. It managed to spread to his entire demeanour after he read the letter’s contents. There was his escape! An excuse to be away from this castle and these nobles right towards the place, where he wanted to do fun things for a while now. Something that would be extremely fun and enjoyable! Somewhere where he didn’t have to be the king of Katolis. In actuality, he completely missed the fact, that apart from a great excuse, this was possibly the single greatest piece of evidence of a ‘connection’ and ‘relationship’ the nobles challenged him to present.

“Nobility of Katolis,” Ezran spoke with a poorly hidden tone of triumph in his voice… not that he was hiding it well in the first place. “Thank you, for your time and everything you said, but unfortunately we will have to continue this discussion later, as I have royal business to attend to with immediate effect.”

“What?!” The entire nobility exclaimed in unison… so did Corvus, Lady Opeli and even Bait.

“I, as the King of Katolis, am invited to the Storm Spire for the first annual meeting of the United Xadian Council, or UXaC for short.” Ezran decreed.

“UXaC? What even is that?” Chis exclaimed furiously.

“That doesn’t matter!” Lady Lily shouted, suddenly appearing shaken and unhinged. She might have realised who the letter was from. “It’s not an officially recognised council and definitely not even from an officially recognised state! You are not running away from this decision!”

“Lady Lily,” Lady Opeli interjected with a calm voice, despite being shaken a few moments ago. “I’m afraid that King Ezran has the right to delay his decision under special circumstances.”

“But he already had a leave of absence recently!” Chis waggled his finger in protest.

 _Really? Two years ago counts as recent?_ Bait grumbled, rightfully so.

“This is not a leave of absence.” Lady Opeli stated. “This a royal matter and that takes precedent.”

“This cannot be classified as a royal matter, because it is from an unrecognised state and council!” Lady Lily argued.

“You may not recognise it as an official council, but the king does and it is in line with his agenda.” A smirk ghosted on Lady Opeli’s face.

Ezran hoped if he didn’t say anything, this would be over quicker.

“King Ezran has been striving towards that objective for nearly two years now and this is exactly the opportunity he was waiting for.” Corvus spoke out. “It wouldn’t make sense to abandon it.”

“You cannot be serious!” Lady Lily screeched. “Instead of dealing with the needs of our kingdom, you ruin its image by prioritising foreign relations with the elves of all things!”

“I’m afraid, for reasons aforementioned, you won’t be able to change King Ezran’s stance on this.” Lady Opeli stated coldly. “You are powerless in this situation and I suggest you rest your case.”

Judging by the irked emotions Ezran’s mind was picking up from Lady Lily, in her mind a good image was doing anything to serve the kingdom, the tribe, the family, whilst opposing everything to do with Eastern Xadia. It was no wonder why Francis wasn’t able to get along well with her and his father, considering Victor without failure only indifferently nodded at everything she said that supported her. She really had him completely under her thumb.

Had Ezran not been so mentally beaten, he wouldn’t stand for her antics. Right now, he wanted this to be done as soon as possible, so that he could get away quickly from them. “Lady Opeli and Corvus, I leave you both in charge of the kingdom, while I’m away.”

“As you wish, Your Majesty.” They both said and bowed.

“Corvus, could you inform Aun… General Amaya to assemble Katolis’s army. I have to speak to the soldiers, since they are invited to volunteer and join UXaC’s standing army – The Grand Army.”

 _How dare he tarnish his grandfather’s legacy like that?_ Ezran sensed Lady Lily seethe. _That specialised military unit was created to fight against the elves, not join them!_

“Right away.” Corvus nodded and quickly left the throne room. Ezran was about to stand up and shortly follow him, but he was interrupted.

“Not so fast!” Lady Lily raised her arm and spoke with a dangerously lowered head. “We are not happy with this and by no means we are allowing you to go off like this.”

“You dare oppose, King Ezran?” Lady Opeli walked threateningly towards Lady Lily, who wasn’t even deigning her with a look. “That would equate to treason.”

“A stickler for rules would of course find it lethal to have anything that goes even a millimetre outside the rule’s boundaries.” Lady Lily scoffed.

“Verily.” Chis agreed, his jowls wobbling from the nodding.

“But after two years of no progress to have this suddenly and conveniently crop up, we have no choice but to assess this as well.” Lady Lily decreed.

“What do you want?” Lady Opeli sounded fed up.

There was a disgustingly boastful smile on Chis’s face, that could easily make anyone throw up from how heartless it was. _How clairvoyant of me to have been able to get that right granted._ Ezran heard his thoughts.

Lady Lily continued. “We have the right to accompany the king on his royal business and considering the newness and the lack of validity of this council, we have the right to assess whether the said council is really of benefit to the kingdom.” Her eyes finally looked up at Lady Opeli from underneath her furrowed eyebrows. Judging by the triumphant look in her eyes, Lady Opeli really had nothing to say nor could she really do anything about it.

“And to think you come from the same family as the noble, selfless and righteous Dmitrius and Francis.” Lady Opeli jabbed, a statement Ezran could partially agree with. Lady Lily’s mouth twitched in fury.

“You have quite the nerve to compare my wife to the shameful and dishonouring stain to our family’s image that is Him.” Victor suddenly spoke defending her. They had tried their best to dissociate and distance themselves from Francis, but even back then he was too big to simply ignore or forget.

“If you please stop wasting our time with your baseless and unjust accusations,” Chis intervened, speaking to Lady Opeli. “I among three more nobles will accompany the king, as per our rights.”

Ezran had no option but to concede. “Fine.”

He watched the wickedly unsettling smile of Chis reply to him, before he slowly turned and led the nobility out of the throne room. Ezran sighed. Just when he thought he got away from them, they still managed to somehow find a way to closely follow him.

“Your Majesty, are you alright?” Lady Opeli asked.

“As fine as I can be at the moment, I guess.” He replied. “That was very difficult.”

 _You have an army meeting to attend to._ Bait reminded.

“I’ll go prepare my announcement then.”

* * *

The black snow cracked loudly underneath her feet, as the harsh blizzard frantically flapped against her teal cloak. She struggled against the unkind climate of the Black Tundra for a week and even if there was absolutely no way anyone could have survived in this place for a long time, she still searched for any possible traces of him. She left nothing up to chance, no matter how improbable it seemed. In spite of that, for nearly two whole years she was still emptyhanded. She still kept going, despite the devastating results… or lack thereof. During the hardest of times, she would always repeat one word in her head and the next step would always be easier and firmer – Callum.

Rayla was heading West, to the one place in this entire ice desert where anyone could survive for a long time. Along the mountain range, there were small clusters of hamlets in which a community of Black Tundra Skywing elves lived. She found it incredible that these elves lived their lives in such a harsh environment, because even through her fur garments she could feel the deep bite of the tundra. In reality, those Skywing elves were the true masters of the tundra. So much so, that it was said that nothing could go unnoticed from their blizzard piercing eyesight. In fact, she was about to find out that that theory was very much true.

“And what might a young Moonshadow elf be doing in a place like this, a place so far away from your home?” She heard a deep voice behind her.

She stopped walking, but she didn’t turn to face him. “That’s none of your concern.” Her reply was as cold as the blizzard.

The Skywing elf was undeterred, as he walked around her. The feathers on his black wing accidentally brushed against her uncovered hand and her mind instantly reminded her of Callum. She wondered if he had grown after all this time.

The blizzard was too thick for her to clearly see the colossal Skywing elf. All she managed to discern were his fur sleeveless top and the fact that his skin was dark grey, almost black. “Are you perhaps looking for someone?” He asked her.

She considered his question and then indulged him with an answer. “A human.”

“Hoh,” he let out a single short laugh. “Don’t you know that all the humans are at the Storm Spire?”

“The Storm Spire?” Rayla tilted her head. It didn’t really have to do with her search, since she searched for Viren everywhere around there, but she was too curious to let that go. “Why is that?”

“You really haven’t heard?” He sounded incredibly surprised and equally disappointed.

“No, of course I heard of it. That’s exactly why I’m asking that question.” Rayla rolled her eyes.

The Skywing elf didn’t react to her sarcasm. “There has been this human walking around and speaking to the heads of each elven kind – The Green Caped Traveller.”

 _Francis?_ Rayla opened her mouth slightly. She hadn’t heard anything about him for a while now, but she certainly remembered him… it was impossible to forget someone like that.

The elf continued calmly. “Apparently his actual name is Francis and quite a few important elves in Xadia met and spoke with him over the years.” Considering how he got around and how persistent he was, it wasn’t so strange that he was known by a few key figures of each of the elven societies.

“ _Eastern_ Xadia.” She corrected him immediately.

“You know him too?” He asked, finally showing a reaction on his barely visible face.

“I do.” She replied.

The Skywing elf went pensively quiet, before continuing normally. “He came in like a strong icy wind, sending shivers across the entirety of the Xadian continent and making himself heard by everyone. In about a week-and-a-half’s time he will hold a council meeting with the leaders of the Human Kingdoms and our leaders at the Storm Spire. Our Sky Princeps has a representative coming in her place.”

Rayla’s eyes went wide. Francis certainly did work over the last two years and he certainly made frighteningly quick progress in trying to achieve his life’s goal of co-existence between Eastern and Western Xadia. He certainly was doing a better job than she was. However, that made her think. Since he had been travelling around the continent, she considered a new possibility in her search of Viren. After all, her search would certainly benefit his plans of achieving co-existence as well.

“Is that the human you were looking for?” The Skywing elf inquired cautiously.

“No, but he could help me find him.” Rayla replied. “Thank you and have a good evening.”

“Likewise.” He replied and flew off.

Rayla turned and briskly walked Southwest. If she was very quick and took minimal amount of rest, then she would just about make it on time. Her new destination – the Storm Spire.

* * *

“So you’ve heard King Ezran’s announcement?” The man with a thin moustache and a goatee asked the assassin.

“Yes, of course. I was present during it.” The assassin replied.

“You’ve made our client wait a very long time.” The man told him.

“I had no choice; I’m chained to my position, as you know.” The assassin replied. “Besides, they wanted the best, which makes sense because only I stand a chance of killing Him. No one will suspect me.”

“That is very true.” The man scratched his goatee. “In any case, here is your Kris knife and the client has requested for you to return His cape and sword as proof.”

“Considering his popularity, I don’t think it would be possible to eliminate him without someone finding out about it, so is there really a need for proof?” The assassin pointed out as he carefully inspected his Kris knife. It was a silver knife with serpents along the frame of the blade and the two uneven Katolis towers on its hilt. It would get to taste His blood very soon. “But regardless, it shall be done.”

* * *

Viren opened his eyes to a wooden ceiling. His body ached and his mind was a mess. His memory was once again fuzzy. He remembered being in a forest and then he got attacked by something… and then immediately after that a black-purple haze settled over his mind. The coin flip luckily landed in his favour. In any case he could not imagine a scenario in which he would end up in a bed in some unknown wooden structure, but that was exactly where he was right now. Judging by the sunrays that licked his face, it must have been morning of the next day.

He wanted to move his hurting right arm, but was alarmed when it was firmly benumbed to the bed. He reached over to look at it and try and rub some sense back into it. His right arm was of horribly pale colour and his palm was burned. It almost reminded him of his withered state after he did a highly demanding Dark Magic spell.

He slowly began to recall the events of that night. He was tracking his daughter and the thing that looked exactly like him and he finally managed to catch their trail. They went through that forest, heading somewhere towards the South, maybe Southwest and that was when he got attacked. He had to get back on track!

As soon as some feeling in his sore body and very stiff right arm returned, he lifted his head to look over to the other side. Within his line of sight was a big open window, where the symphony of sounds of a busy town were playing. He sat up to see where exactly he was. His eyes were presented to a picture framed by branches and leaves and way down below him was the actual town, with the sea waving in the background. Was his room in a tree? Judging by the other trees that were rooted here and there around the visible part of town and the people that were walking on the branches, that must have been the case.

But where was he exactly? Although the town looked very small below him, he could see its square with a distinct looking podium and gong on it. Every building around it had an intricate concave and curved designs within their wooden and stone frames and the people below wore either teal green or indigo outfits. Did all of them have white hair? His suspicions were confirmed when an Archangel Lunaris landed on the window sill.

“Cara! Our guest is finally awake!” A female voice came from his right. “Good morning.” Viren turned to see a Moonshadow elf with an indigo attire and silver cuffs on the base of her horns. She had white hair that ran past her shoulders and a braid on both sides of her head, going across and behind it. She gave him a small polite smile. “How are you feeling?”

There was a deep strange feeling of resentment towards her coming from inside Viren… and towards any of her kind. However it felt foreign despite the fact that he knew that it used to be his… and that felt strange to him. “Where am I?” He finally asked.

“Welcome to the Moon Meadows.” Another voice answered his question from behind the entrance. The other elf, one that was called Cara, entered the room. She too had cuffs, indigo attire and even the same haircut, but unlike the other elf, she had numerous face tattoos and was built much more like a warrior. “I am Cara, a warrior of the Moon Meadows’s army, and this is my wife Truna, she is a mage. And you are?”

He considered whether he should tell the truth. His mind really wanted to hide his real name, it was almost instinctual… but felt strangely off to him. So he decided against it. “My name is Viren.” He hoped that they wouldn’t know that he was the one that led the combined human armies against Xadia.

“It is a pleasure to finally meet you.” They both said at the same time. That synchrony seemed peculiar, but at least they didn’t react unusually to his name.

“What happened to me?” Viren asked.

“That’s what we wanted to ask you.” Truna took her hair from over her left shoulder and twirled it in circular motions with her finger.

“Yet it seems that you don’t have a clue either.” Cara did the same as her wife, but from over her right shoulder. There was definitely an odd synchrony between them.

“My Moonlight wife here, heard an explosion and found your unconscious body before a forest fire in its early stages.” Truna said extending her hand to Cara.

Cara continued, whilst also extending her hand in Truna’s direction. “She used her illusion spell to inform others and get them to help put out the fire.”

“And they did a splendid job of that, while you were carried away by my sweet and brave Adoraburr.” Truna said with a playful and mischievous look in her eyes.

“There she goes again.” Cara groaned, blushing and dropping her stoic demeanour. “You are always embarrassing me in front of others.”

“You get plenty of time to show off as a warrior and it’s just funny for me and others to see you be at the receiving end of my light-hearted mocking.” Truna smirked.

“And I’m not so clingy and annoying for me to be called a burr!” Cara protested, looking at her now.

“You are adorable though.” Truna’s smile went wider and more genuine.

“Why did you save me?” Viren asked, interrupting their exchange.

They simultaneously and sharply turned their heads. They looked at him with wide eyes. “Would you have preferred if we left you in the fire?” They both asked at the same time.

“No,” Viren shook his head. “It’s just… I’m a human.”

“So what?” Truna asked.

 _Really?_ Viren thought, his mind boggled by everything he experienced so far.

“Helping and getting helped isn’t just exclusive to elves.” Cara pointed out.

“Everyone is equal when it comes to the cycle of life and death, be it a bug, a tree, an animal, an elf or a human.” Truna said. “Everyone is born and at some point everyone dies. Why should we not try to prolong everyone’s lives?” She asked.

Nothing made sense in Viren’s head. As they were talking to him, his mind had started to recover and he had his past feelings of animosity towards the elves resurface. They were definitely his, but they felt so wrong now, to the point that at first glance Viren failed to recognise that as his. The married couple before him weren’t the allegedly worst kind of elves who were bloodthirsty monsters. After all, they saved him, took him in and treated him well. How could he have hated them so much, when he didn’t even seem to know them at all? They definitely showed interest in his well-being and weren’t scolding him or anything. All of a sudden, he felt guilty and ashamed of his normally prideful part that was his status as a Dark Mage. There was no way he could reveal that side of him.

“Are you seriously considering now that we should have left you in the fire?” Truna asked, unsure of why there was such a long silence.

“Oh, no, not at all.” Viren was quick to respond.

“Great!” Cara smiled, as she took a chair and sat beside his bed, her front leaning against the chair’s back. “We can finally let some folks know your name.”

“Although, fair warning – not everyone is so open and if they do approach you, you’ll still have to do much of the talking.” Truna said. Despite their unnatural curiosity, the residents still were the private and reserved Moonshadow elves.

“Rumours spread far too easily in this town and they have been growing daily since we brought you to our town and took you in.” Cara pointed out, shaking her head.

“Daily?” Viren repeated.

“You were out for a few days.” Truna said calmly, blowing a hair that got in front of her out of the way, while her wife did the same to her own hair strand but with her hands.

“We tried to keep it quiet so that you wouldn’t get overwhelmed when you would step out of our guest room,” Cara said, putting her right arm on her hip.

“But ever since that human came to the Grand Council and managed to surprise everyone,” Truna placed her left arm on her hip at the same time.

“Our community has been very curious and keen to get to see more humans.” Cara finished her sentence for her. Somehow they weren’t doing that on purpose, they were that in sync. Perhaps one could have considered them siblings, but that surely showed that they were a great match as a couple.

“Yeah, he was nothing like the humans we got told about. He was a gentleman.” Truna continued.

“Knew our culture well.” Cara stated.

“And the town as well, all of the important landmarks!” Truna added.

“He even gave me and few of our warriors and assassins a good sparring session.” Cara remembered.

“And you started doubling and tripling up on him as well.” Truna pointed out. “He was very brave and elegant.”

“And he knew and showcased the fighting stances of all the elves! That was truly a masterful performance from him.” Cara commended.

“Yeah and when he challenged you he reasoned by saying ‘I’m crazy, but I’m not mad’.” Truna recalled.

Cara nodded. “Yeah and when more elves began to fight him simultaneously, he only kept saying ‘I like those odds’. He even willingly invited a few more to join in, which I thought was arrogance at first, but he actually won!”

Viren’s eyes widened with each new information they told him. It couldn’t have been who he thought it was, right? He needed to hear them say His name before he fully believed it. “That human, what was his name?”

“What was his name, my Moonshine?” Cara asked. “I was always bad with names.”

“Francis, of course.”

Viren quickly sat up on the bed. He remembered that during his clash at the Storm Spire, Francis opposed him and lead the Sunfire elves’ defence. He remembered seeing his sole and ragged figure standing firmly at the defence’s breach in the way of a thousand of his men. Francis wasn’t even fazed; he remained frighteningly determined. In fact, he was so unmoved by his loneliness that he rushed at them – thousands against one… and it worked! The thousands got scared by him alone. That relentlessness left a haunting image in Viren’s head.

“Do you know Francis?” Cara asked him. His shocked expression must have given him away.

“Yes.” Viren cleared his throat to reset himself. “He is very well known across The Human Kingdoms.”

“Oh, well, he’s very well known here too.” Truna said.

“Here too?” Viren asked, shock resurfacing once again.

“For a while now.” Cara confirmed.

“For a while now?” Viren’s jaw dropped. What couldn’t this guy do? How was it possible to grow so much in popularity after spending six years in Xadia… as a human?

“Granted before we referred to him as ‘The Green Caped Traveller’ or ‘You’, but everyone thought that he was a myth, at least the human part of the traveller.” Truna pointed out.

“But ever since his heroics in The Battle, everyone found out his actual name.” Cara decreed.

“The Battle?” Viren was confused.

“The Battle at The Storm Spire.” They both said at the same time, before Cara continued. “Have you not heard of it?”

That must have been the battle and the place where him and Francis clashed. Viren’s memory was still very loose on the events of that day; nothing really made sense in his head. “Not really, no.” He replied.

The both of them genuinely looked taken aback, but that surprise quickly dissipated. Truna clapped her hands. “Ooh, Cara is amazing in telling the story of The Battle and she absolutely loves doing it.”

Cara stood up, quickly rotated the chair and put it in front of her. “A battle unlike any other, where a pebble was supposed to hold off a whole landslide. The remaining forces of Lux Aurea and Team Azymondias facing against the armies of darkness, human soldiers who lost their humanity and became monsters by being tainted by Dark Magic and The Light of The Sun Forge. They were led by an equally monstrous king, who had a caterpillar wrapped over his torso and a webbed eye. And despite being heavily outnumbered, when all seemed to be going wrong, a man stood back up and held the line. That man liked his odds and then he fearlessly charged at the enemy.” She unsheathed her sword and charged at the chair knocking it over to the side with her foot, while her wife watched her with verve.

As Cara continued her passionate performance, Viren grew more and more aghast. He was terrified of himself. Was what she told him really how it looked like? It had to be an exaggeration, right? Something that the winners told to emphasise that they were the good ones. Did he really turn men into absolute monsters? It just sounded so horrifying, he couldn’t quite believe it.

Unknowingly reminding Viren of his actions, Cara went over the arrival of the dragons and Duren’s army, the aftermath and then she reached the pinnacle portion of the battle. “The corrupted King’s skin was withered and devoid of life, just like his grey hair. His eyes were a soulless black as he performed Dark Magic, all to take a life away from an innocent three weeks old Dragon Prince, Azymondias. But then Rayla of Silvergrove, The Last Dragonguard, fulfilled her mission by sacrificing herself and throwing him and herself off the pinnacle.” And that was why Viren fell, now he remembered. He also recalled Callum growing wings and then swooping down to save her from plummeting to her doom, an event Cara recreated by sweeping her wife’s legs and catching her in her arms.

After all of that explaining, Viren was shook to his core. He was lost. He didn’t recognise himself at all. In pure desperation and a will for power, he dealt with someone he shouldn’t have and became so unbelievably reckless and dangerous. He gambled and the coin didn’t land favourably. He was heavily regretting his choices that led him here. He went completely off-road with everything and now he was paying dearly for his decisions. And in his violent crusade he had led others astray: the combined armies of The Pentarchy, Kasef, Saleer and worst of all, Claudia. At least his son, whom he found difficult to accept and love ever since he saved him, managed to escape that fate… it actually made him feel strangely proud how strong and unusually sensible and smart he was to avoid it. _I failed them all… and you too Harrow._ He was holding his head internally. _What have I done? What had everything amassed to?_

“Phew, as breathtakingly as ever, my love.” Truna swooned.

“I try.” Cara smiled, before suddenly remembering that she was telling all of this to Viren. She frowned. He didn’t look particularly well. “Oh, of course, you were out for the past few days. You are probably incredibly thirsty and hungry! I will go and get you something.” She ran to the room over to bring Viren some fruit and juice.

During all this time, Viren looked painfully out of the window, feeling the attentive eyes of Truna carefully consider him. As soon as Cara stepped back in and laid out a tray before him, Truna spoke. “Viren, before we leave you to recover for a few more hours, can I ask you a question?” Viren looked back at her, as Cara froze in her spot waiting for her wife to continue. “If you can remember it, what were you doing in the forest?”

Viren didn’t reply immediately. “I was looking for someone who is lost, another human.”

The pair looked at him intrigued. There was a short pause, before Truna interrupted it again. “You aren’t just an ordinary person, are you? You were looking for another human at the forest nearby before an unnatural explosion and a fire occurred there. You also know Francis, but you questioned why we would save a human. This begs the question: who are you really in all of this?”

There was a long and hesitant silence coming from Viren, before he gravely turned away from them to look back out of the window. He wasn’t sure of anything anymore. “Honestly, I think I have forgotten that long ago.” He replied with a heavy sigh.

* * *

_There!_ Standing before the Storm Spire, Francis could quietly celebrate to himself his achievement – he could finally precisely pin-point the auras with a greater deal of accuracy. He could feel the prancing of Zym and since The Dragon Prince was so emotional, Francis could additionally feel the raw elation he experienced from seeing him. He could feel the strong fiery presence of the Queen of Lux Aurea, Janai, standing off to the side talking to some Sunfire elf subordinate, who despite not knowing him at all, Francis could also feel an aura coming from him. He suddenly felt another aura approach from behind him… someone very familiar. He twisted around.

“Woah, Francis, you nearly made me jump there,” the man with a short brown haircut, brown eyes and the blue and white outfit of the Duren general, greeted him. His deep gravelly voice actually soothed Francis a little, for he grew to respect the man with that voice standing before him.

“Master Jonathan,” Francis bowed his head.

“Would you stop it already with the formalities?” He grumbled lightly in return.

“My apologies. Old habits die hard.” Francis said calmly, whilst concealing a frown. He felt another much weaker aura behind Jonathan, but he couldn’t see who it was. It must have been someone he barely knew… or so he thought at first, until something deep down began to rekindle. An old memory perhaps? A long forgotten feeling? Whoever it was, was a little shy and clearly eying him specifically.

“I’ve come to ask you a favour, my boy.” Jonathan told him.

“Very well,” Francis replied. “And since you’ve come to ask me for a favour, how about I treat you to a Sunfire elves’ favourite drink?”

“I cannot reject such an offer. What is it?”

“The Midday Tea.” Francis replied. “It’s based on their fruit – The Sun’s Zenith. If you follow me to our tents, then I can show you what it is.”

“Lead the way.”

And so Francis did. Feeling already tired from concentrating on the auras for so long, he finally lost the focus and with it, his senses of them. As he settled down from the surge of sensations he experienced, he felt his mind slowly build a rapport. It was a palace of sorts, where it could store and use these auras and the new gained understanding of the things and the world around him. He was getting closer and so far that diary described these sensations and processes word for word, yet it purposefully omitted one thing. There were so many auras, presences and subjects – a whole world of them! The hub of this knowledge, his mind, possessed all of it and encrypted his understandings and beliefs about it… and yet one last crucial detail remained missing – something to tie all of this together. Francis was certain – he was one last step away from understanding the Ice Arcanum, the true and rare seventh Primal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, everyone, please don't report me for Ezran abuse! I like the little guy, it's just I needed this to be done for plot and character development purposes and to be fair it is not as bad as the way he found out about the death of his father. In any case, everyone is slowly converging to the same spot from where everything will kick-off.  
> Also, yes, you read that right - there is a new Primal in play. I wanted to challenge myself and add another dynamic to the story. Let's hope it goes well! Speaking of Primals, in the actual story I don't really want Callum to learn all of the Primals, but then I'm not sure how the show is going to deal with Aaravos if they do that (unless different mages of all Primals gang up on him together, but even still I don't feel like it would be enough). In my fiction I kind of want to try and explore it through Callum, so he'll be learning a few more Arcana.  
> Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it! See you next Saturday, where we get to see the first meeting of UXaC and a new main OC is introduced!


	5. The Meeting Forged in Ice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Water is versatile and adaptable to everything around it. However, you can’t be a water forever. At some point you must take a stance in the world and using the connections around you to make a rigid and powerful force. You must become like ice – water strengthened by many bonds.”

They quickly threw at each other glances, swiftly twirling, jumping into stances. Step by step, they moved in tact, whilst cancelling each other out. His cape zipped after his sword, against her shield, his actions – bold. Their sparring dance of clashing blades, ended quickly in his triumphant raids.

Once again his green cape came to rest as he looked at her, through the crossed blades. His eyes sighed before he actually could. She knew what that simple gaze meant – her body position was once again not low enough. She wordlessly adjusted and he nodded with a simple pleased smirk.

Some time ago he was just a boy, that she used to peek at during his practices, as her father drilled him. She would ask her father for his name and he would reply a name that the whole world would remember… and her especially – Francis. Through the bushes she would watch and admire the tenacity the boy displayed even back then. He had no fear of taking on multiple people, kids that were bigger than him and pushing himself further despite clearly being outmatched and tired. He may have lost, yet he somehow found a way to never be defeated. In the end, he always found a way to win, the odds be damned. ‘Give up’ and ‘stop’ were simply not part of his vernacular. If he had been thrown to the floor, riddled in painful cuts and bruises – he would always get back up. When boys his age surrounded, bullied and jeered him – he would simply stand straight and strong, calmly looking outwards amidst the chaos. Whenever he was facing things on his own – he would not hold back; he would express himself to the fullest and stand his ground… yet afterwards he would always remain silent and not tell anyone about it, as though as it was nothing special.

Many years may have passed, yet he was still the same person… she almost found herself being in the same environment as well, only she wasn’t hiding behind a bush and this time when his wonderful and vigorous brown eyes were on her, she wasn’t running away. His cold calculating and scholarly acute mind shone brightest in any situation, especially when pressured, as he thought outside the box and ten steps ahead, to come up with ways to surprise everyone the most. Be it a conventional solution to a problem or an unconventional one, it was always distinctly him, his way. His name was known before in the Human Kingdoms, now he had become a respectable figure in Eastern Xadia as well, as he was growing in popularity.

She felt terrified at a simple thought of being under such a spotlight, leading the charges. Back then, she never found the bravery to speak much to him and even as recently as a few days ago she was uneasy to be the one to initiate the conversation, as she once again fell back to quietly lingering in the background. It was inevitable that her father would request Francis to train her for her… with an additional cover-up of it being his request. Even after a few days of training at the Storm Spire, a ball of nerves would still form in her stomach – the man before her was so gallant and elegant that it took all of her might to not blush every single time he simply looked at her with his piercing eyes.

“Do not hide you blue eyes, Marie.” He would laugh every time she saved herself from blushing. “It’s only me… or am I that ugly? Besides, it would be best to not let your opponent out of sight.”

Whenever his eyes weren’t focused around hers during sparring, her eyes were trained on him. She tracked and traced every single tiny movement he made, taking mental notes. What was interesting was that she sometimes would recognise her father’s small movements in Francis, but they were heavily adapted and synthesised with fighting styles she had never seen humans perform. It must have taken years of artistic creativity and practice to combine the elven and human fighting styles.

“Marie,” Francis’s voice suddenly snapped her out. “I know that you don’t talk much and you think you can get away with everything as a result. Considering how smart and reliably good you are, you have to be fairly observant.” Marie froze up a little. She wasn’t the only one with keen and attentive eyes. Francis clearly noticed as he smirked and had a confident look in his gaze. “Just now, your eyes did all the talking again. Not only you were heavily analysing my movements – not for the first time may I add – but also that my hunch was correct in the first place. You are trying to take notes from me, aren’t you?”

She sighed, as she was totally caught out. “Yes, I want to get better and learn from the best, so…”

“Mind game.” Francis suddenly said. “Strength is finite but words can be infinite.”

“What?” She didn’t understand.

“Dislodge and unsettle your opponent.” He told her and she slowly began to realise what he was doing. “First move advantage.” Francis sprung at her without warning. She put up her shield and despite strength not being her best attribute, she was able to push him backwards, firmly standing her ground. He just casually continued as he slowly sidestepped around her. “Usually my go-to when I’m outnumbered, because if I’m certain to lose, then I want to make sure that the first person gets it.” His sword started dashing between his palms with quick and effortless flicks of his wrist. “Now, sword fighting is an art, a performance and a show, so be less anxious and more confident as you play and try things – tricks, combinations, bold moves.” His sword prodded at her from side to side, as he used his whole body to try and push her backwards. She held her own, determined to not be moved. However, this was Francis and he overpowered her greatly, not to mention her lack of strength. She blocked his final attack from her left, only for him to quickly and elegantly flip the sword in the air and kick at her shield forcibly pushing her back towards the Storm Spire’s rockface. “Be resourceful – use anything and everything around you to maximise your chances of winning.” He said as she was still stumbling backwards from that kick. He quickly ran and jumped up and off the rockface. She put up her shield again as the last ditch effort to prevent his stretched foot from meeting her body. The impact on her shield made her lose balance, immediately realising that once again her body position was not low enough. Just as she accepted her upcoming fate of her back landing on the ground, she suddenly stopped falling, as she felt something tightly holding her forearm. “And the best part is that it all was planned.” He said with a big sun-reflecting smile. “Enough to determine the outcome, yet flexible to account for situational moments on the path to the said outcome. Don’t rely on chance, because it is not good for your heart.”

Her eyes locked with his, as she found herself unable to look away. She panted heavily from the workout, yet her breath felt a little shorter and sharper than it normally was. His steely hand, muscly and riddled in still healing cuts, was tightly holding onto her and preventing her from falling. His forelock was standing straight, skyward, sharp, as if at attention. He again casually flung the sword high into the air and with his now free hand flicked through his forelock to make it even straighter.

“Those are my five principles of fighting.” He decreed, as he caught the sword, still looking calmly at her.

She always believed that if you did things uniquely, unlike others, then people would be drawn to you. Especially if those people weren’t as good and strong in those areas. She was simultaneously admiring and wanted to be around him, yet felt incredibly nervous and flustered in the early stages whenever she was. Considering that in normal everyday life she was quiet, it was almost impossible to spot when she was nervous and flustered. Yet for some reason, she felt oddly relaxed and completely comfortable right now, as she was held solely by his reliable hand. His five principles echoed and bounced around in her head. Thinking about it, she would also add a sixth principle – risk more than the others. She knew that Francis hated putting other people in danger and so his solution to avoiding that was to always take on the riskiest parts of the plan and do most of the heavy lifting. She didn’t think that was the greatest alternative… and she wondered how awfully tiring that must have been. He never ever said a word about it.

After a short but noticeable silence, he pulled her upright. She watched with bated breath, as his hands reached out to her shoulders to quickly fix the lopsided pads on top of her burgundy top with weaving white and blue lines. He gave her a quick look over, making sure that her diagonal buttons weren’t undone, and when nothing seemed out of place for him, he nodded approvingly.

The session was over. They sheathed their swords and she pressed a button on the strap just above her left wrist to neatly retract the heater shield into a cover that looked like extra padding on her forearm. Every single time she did that, she managed to catch his curious eyes looking at the ingenuity of Duren engineers. No one would be able to guess that a sturdy shield would spring out of that cover. There was another button on the bottom of her palm that triggered another mechanism of the shield, but she never used it in a fight.

Francis finally stopped staring at the strap, as soon as she pulled down her sleeve. “Great performance! Courageous, determined and reliable,” he said looking particularly happy. “I now know why your father was so excited about you! You possess undeniable talent!” She felt herself beaming at that. He narrowed his eyes at her, going a little pensive. “Although, it is interesting how you always prefer to be on the defensive. You never initiated the attacks; you fully focused on defence. How come?”

Marie blinked at him. “Whatever do you mean? Why is that so interesting?”

“It’s like you let me be in charge of it; you let me shine in that sparring session.” He explained. “Even that accidental set-up with my principals, you supported me in encouraging me to perform. You wanted this, as you led me to that outcome.”

“I think you’re flattering me.” She looked away, coyly chuckling and feeling a blush coming up. She held her hand over the other in front of her. “I’m no leader; I don’t lead the lines. I only…”

“… defend, cover and support others.” He finished her sentence. She could only stare at him after that. Her surprise at the accuracy of his words was easily read by him. “I did say that sword fighting is an art. Since art is an expression of ourselves, then I for certain can see who you are.”

“I guess you are very attentive and experienced for your age.” She said evenly. Extremely unusual for someone at the age of twenty.

“Four years on your own out in the wilderness does force you to pick up the smallest of details.” He conceded, before sighing and continuing wistfully. “I’ve spent too long on my own.”

 _What does he mean by that?_ She wondered. She wanted to ask, but she was interrupted.

“Francis!” Ibis’s voice came. Their heads sharply turned in the direction of his voice. “The party from Katolis has arrived.”

“Perfect timing.” Francis stated, as he suddenly went tense and formal and his voice was ear-piercingly earnest. His cheery smile and shining aura was blown out and replaced by a cold icy wind and an inscrutable expression. “The first council is going to start soon, so I’ll be with them right away.” He turned and started walking towards Ibis, but then he stopped. “Actually come to think of it, all of the leaders are going to be at the meeting up there in the hall of the Storm Spire.” He thought out loud and then turned back to face Marie’s attentive eyes. The shining spark was back within them. “I would like to invite you to the council.”

“What?” She asked, her voice full of shock.

“Your father as a general of the Duren’s army will be present, so I’m sure you’ll be okay and he won’t mind.” Francis went on casually, his body relaxing.

“No, I cannot accept that.” Marie said, lowering her head and looking at the ground. “I will be out of place and the odd one out up there.”

“I insist that you come. You haven’t been up there and you could benefit from being a little bit more centre-stage.”

“I don’t believe I will be needed up there.” She replied, although she couldn’t deny the curiosity of seeing him in any environment other than during their practices together.

He narrowed his eyes at her and then his enigmatic expression was replaced by a smirk. “Of course you will be needed up there. You can support me; I’ll need some help.”

As soon as she heard the words ‘support’ and ‘help’, her mind wasn’t fully thinking things through. “Of course.” She replied quickly. “I can help.” She realised only a second later what he had done.

Before her eyes went wide and she could take her words back, he quickly seized his moment. “Great, then I’ll see you at the meeting!” He casually turned around and walked away, again looking very earnest.

She sighed – that was the second time he managed to catch her out like that, in quick succession no less. She wondered if he had noticed it – the silence. Now that she accepted his invitation, she couldn’t take her words back – that would be unbecoming of a self-respecting lady. Besides, she was always very curious to find out what happened at these sorts of meetings.

* * *

The council meeting was adjourned, but King Ezran was not done.

 _Why does this meeting have to be private?_ Bait groaned, reflecting Ezran’s thoughts, as they both watched everyone leave the tent, apart from the numerous chairs and four people that stood in front of them.

 _I don’t mind this being private,_ Ezran communicated with Bait, trying his best to ignore the awfully annoying sound of smacking lips. _I just don’t want it to be with him._

“So King Ezran,” Chis rubbed his greasy hands together, as the other three nobles spread around the tent, forming a semi-circle around Ezran. “Now we can have a good and sensible discussion about this.” The suffocating darkness suddenly submerged the small tent, as the cloud passed over the sun. Ezran could only rue the sick timing.

“I know perfectly well what you want.” He responded curtly.

Chis’s creepy smile flashed in the darkness, as the shadows of the tall nobles grew even taller. “My, oh my,” he even chuckled. “Then if you know then perhaps you understand the error in your ways.”

“I stand by my words and decisions.” Ezran said sternly.

“Even though you are alone in your convictions?” Chis pointedly looked around.

 _Hey, I’m here!_ Bait growled at Chis. _You big, fat, dense…_

“I’m not alone, people want this!” Ezran objected. “We’ve had peace for two years and it’s clear that humans and elves have become closer together ever since The Battle.”

Chis abruptly stopped rubbing his hands and his head tilted forward. His eyes suddenly became vicious like a mad hound. Rattled, Ezran took a step backwards. “The only thing that has become clear since The Battle is that there is a mark of shame upon our human image!” He barked, his voice turning hoarse and grave. Ezran never saw him raise his voice at anyone ever. It made him want to run away and hide, but he managed to keep his composure and stay his ground.

 _That’s right, there is no one here to protect you now!_ Ezran heard Chis’s thoughts hack into his mind. _No Opeli, no Corvus, no Soren, no Marcos. You are not hiding from reality now!_ Ezran didn’t know what to do, how to defend. Everything about what he did and believed in made sense in his head, but as soon as he voiced it out loud Chis shut him down immediately. He always had some kind of a counter-argument, to the point that it was actually incredibly weary to go through them. It destroyed Ezran’s confidence so much that he began to doubt his own beliefs. Was he doing the right thing as a king?

“A king fights for his people.” Chis lowered his voice, yet the strain was still remaining. “You should have ripped up that invitation as soon as it arrived, but you acted impulsively like a little child, so we have the inconvenience of being here on enemy soil. Your position is to represent your people only and they want to do nothing with Xadia.”

“Eastern Xadia.” Ezran corrected him.

“Whatever,” Chis scoffed, as the four nobles took a big step to him, closing in the semi-circle. “You listen to me and do exactly as I tell you right now and I won’t come up the Storm Spire with you.”

 _Ha! He won’t make it up the stairs!_ Bait croaked.

 _Yes, Bait, but at some point I will still have to come down here to him._ Ezran told him, whilst remaining silent.

The four nobles took another step towards him, blocking him in completely. Chis continued to pressure him. “You are going up to that meeting with the vile elves and say no to any of their propositions. It’s what the people of Katolis really want! We are not cooperating with them, am I clear?”

Ezran didn’t say a thing, he had no idea how to resist this. The nobles were fully surrounding him, standing shoulder to shoulder and snuffing any light coming through the tent’s entrance. He hated this. He was ready to gladly disappear in Eastern Xadia, in hopes of being forgotten by everyone. Although in retrospect, the latter would never have been true.

“How dare you?” A cold icy wind of a voice blew into the tent.

 _That voice…_ Ezran thought. Judging by the now very pale faces of the four nobles, they were also thinking the same thing as him. They slowly turned, allowing Ezran to see in between them. From the entrance, a frightening pair of brown eyes flashed across, shooting more than daggers at the nobles. Amongst the darkness they seemed to glow a little… kind of like Rayla’s did, only if her glow was natural, then the person’s narrow sight was boiling in anger. It almost reminded Ezran of Lady Lily.

The sun slowly peered through the clouds, giving light to the tent. The first thing Ezran was able to clearly discern was the green cape with a golden letter G still shaking behind the figure. It was who he thought it was. Francis was here, but Ezran certainly hadn’t ever imagined being scared of him in his reunion… at least Francis wasn’t glaring at him, as he heard the nobles gasp in fear. Now Ezran could see his dark brown hair and the familiar iconic forelock. Then his face was lit up… and Ezran frowned a little. Although two years have passed, that same shadow he had ever since The Battle remained on his face… only it seemed to be a little darker than it used to be. To this day, Ezran still didn’t know anything about it and despite him being sure that he wasn’t imagining that, no one else had pointed it out. At least nothing had changed and it was still same old Francis… except from maybe there were a few more grey hairs now, but they were still hard to see for anyone who didn’t know about them.

Ezran heard a commotion happening outside, as a pair of soldiers rushed into their tent and squeezed past Francis’s broad shoulders. “You are not allowed to be here! This is a private meeting with the king!” One said, looking a little unconvincingly though.

Francis gave him a cold look, as he almost protruded over him. The soldier became smaller and he shut his mouth very quickly, while the other one just took a huge step away from them. Francis didn’t even say a single word. Both soldiers left as quickly as they entered.

The nobles were clearly shaking… or at least Chis was, as Ezran could hear the clanking of the rings on his fingers. “You… you… you weren’t invited here!” He managed to utter.

Francis sharply turned his head to look back at the nobles. Everyone apart from Chis quickly stepped away to hug the tent’s walls. A short dangerous laugh escaped Francis’s mouth. “Oh, it is very ironic to hear that, because I am the one who invited you here… or have you blinded yourself from that fact already, Chis?” He took threatening strides towards the shaking councilman.

His bottom lip quivered. “H-How do you know my name?”

“Please, I won’t be able to forget that stench and the name that goes with it even if I could.” Francis came up right to him, looking down at him. The ball that was Chis was shrinking in front of their very eyes. “Don’t strain yourself too much, so sit.” Francis niftily took a chair beside him and placed it behind Chis, before he could fall. Chis was holding very tightly onto his seat, as he was simply frozen to it by the pin-like glare of Francis’s cold eyes. He lifted his head and pointed at every single cowering noble, as he spoke. “You will all do well to remember that no one, no one in this world talks to my friends like that… unless they want to cross swords with me. As for you,” he looked back down at Chis and pointed at him, his finger even tapped his forehead a few times. “You would do very well to remember that the masses can sometimes be misinformed, just like an individual can, and that usually the leaders know better than the rest.”

Francis straightened his back and gave a deadly look at each of the nobles.

All this time, Ezran observed this, whilst being completely rooted to the spot. Francis turned to face him and Ezran would have flinched… but Francis’s expression was glowing brightly with the warmest look in his eyes that Ezran had ever seen. He walked towards him and took a knee to be eye-level with him.

“Hi, Ez.” He said, spreading his hands as wide as possible. Ezran was too relieved and happy to say anything as he jumped into the hug. “Woah, you are going to tackle me off my feet soon.” He chuckled, as he rubbed his massive hand in circles across his small back. “You and Zym sure share a similar spring in your jumps.”

“I missed you so much.” Ezran told him.

“Me too.” Francis replied, as he pulled away to look at Ezran. His hand remained on his shoulder. “Look at you! You’ve grown, but at least your hair is still the same mess.” He playfully ruffled it, while Ezran giggled.

“Well, you haven’t grown and you still have that same haircut and that aura that dictates the room around you.” Ezran pointed out. “I’m jealous.”

“Oh, that? Just act confident and you can get away with anything,” Francis joked, as he turned to the nobles to give them a stiff stare. “Right?” There was a long moment of silence, that he quickly grew tired of. “If you’re not going to say anything then leave. Now!” He ordered. The nobles did not waste time in following his order, as they almost scrambled over each other at the exit. He looked back at Ezran. “You need to get some better advisors, Ez, ones that don’t just look out for themselves. How come the nobility are even here on your royal business?”

“It’s a long story, but it’s basically their right to do so.” Ezran admitted.

“Ez, don’t tell me you allowed them to meddle with your agendas?” Francis gave him a concerned look, which turned into a sigh when Ezran remained silent. “Oh, Ezran, you have to be stricter than that with them or they’ll eat you alive.”

“I know,” Ezran’s head dropped, his crown resting on Francis’s chest. “I’m so sick and tired of it already… and I’m not sure if I can do this.”

“Hey, chin up,” Francis lifted Ezran’s head. “You are Ezran, the king of Katolis, son of Harrow and Sarai, brother of Callum and a friend to me, Rayla, Zym and Bait – you have nothing to be afraid of! You hold your head high, because you are an incredible kid with an incredibly rare gift. Move forward and don’t look back. Okay?” He gave him a reassuring smile and Ezran felt a little freer after that – he would be alright for now. Although a new sort of cloud peered into this conversation… and that was explaining why Rayla and Callum were missing.

“What’s going on in here?” Soren’s voice disturbed their peace, as he and several others entered the tent. “We got told there is trouble here.”

“I think it was kind of obvious when we heard the nobles yell Francis’s name.” Marcos jabbed lightly. “It’s trouble and someone needs help whenever his name is yelled.”

Francis got up and headed towards them. “Good morning. It’s great to see you two!” They embraced each other in a hug, giving a few slaps on the back to each other.

“You seem to have grown a couple of extra grey hairs.” Marcos pointed out as they pulled away from each other. Soren narrowed his curious eyes at Francis’s hair.

“Maybe,” Francis conceded. “Let’s hope you have also grown to not patrol at night on your own.”

“I have.” Marcos chuckled.

Without much concern for personal space, Soren was leaning closer, still inspecting Francis’s hair. “Grey hair!” He pointed out triumphantly, then pompously stood akimbo. “What are you sixty or something?”

Francis shook his head. “I see, Soren, you’re slacking off on your calf training I advised back then.” He jabbed.

“Hey, that’s no way to greet a friend!” Soren crossed his arms.

“I thought we were supposed to be bitter rivals?” Francis asked.

Soren tried to lightly punch him in the shoulder, but Francis caught his hand and he desisted. “We still are! That’s part of being friends with me!”

“Pfft, I didn’t know that I am the one who apparently benefits from this relationship and that I am obliged to be in debt by your graceful acceptance of me.” Francis scoffed lightly. “Besides, we can’t talk competitiveness until you comfortably beat Rayla first.” Soren, Marcos and Ezran all exchanged looks, as tension thickened simultaneously within them. Amidst friendly chatter, that was a blunt reminder to Ezran that he had to tell Francis the truth. After all, he promised himself he would do that the first time they meet.

Francis quickly moved on, uncharacteristically not picking up on their small change in body tension… or maybe not pointing it out at all, only taking a mental note. It was hard to tell sometimes. “Anyways, you all look good since I last saw you, especially you, Marcos, in your new Grand Army Commander outfit!” He was referring to Marcos’s armour that had a Katolis red and gold sash going across his front. Ezran guessed that the commander part came from Marcos’s turquoise cape with the symbols of all five Human Kingdoms and six Primal Sources drawn in white and gold in the middle.

Marcos quickly replied, afraid that Francis would notice their sudden tension. “I really do like the look of them. I saw it from the side on the other two commanders, Sabah and… errr…”

“Ignatius,” Francis helped him. “They’ll be commanding the Sunfire battalion of The Grand Army.”

“Battalion?” Soren scoffed. “There is hardly five hundred men combined between us and the Sunfire elves.”

“With time, it will grow into one.” Francis insisted.

“Come to think of it, what about Duren and the rest of the elves?” Marcos asked.

“I don’t know.” Francis admitted. “We’ll probably find out when we get up there.”

“Not without greeting me first.” Ezran heard Gren’s voice from the entrance. It could only mean one thing – wherever Gren was, there was always the same person with him.

“General Amaya.” Francis put his hand across his chest and bowed his head.

 _“I appreciate the salute, but you never were a ranked officer within my army.”_ General Amaya signed. Ezran got a little excited to continue putting what sign language he learned over the two years into practice. He was getting better at interpreting it, but still struggled to sign it quickly.

“It would be rude of me not to.” Francis replied. “It is good to see you.”

 _“You look much better than last time.”_ General Amaya signed. It should have been a normal response to Francis’s comment, but something ticked in Ezran’s mind. Was he feeling great concern and caution coming from his aunt?

Francis laughed. “If getting a couple more grey hairs is ‘much better than last time’, then I guess I am.”

“Oh, I’ve been waiting for this for a long time.” Someone’s brisk booming voice came from outside of the tent. A young tall gentleman with long blond hair and very wide shoulders sprung into the tent. He was wearing a Katolis uniform underneath his navy topcoat. “I have been dying to meet with the man himself.” He approached Francis with a wide shining smile and fervently took and shook his hand. Something again ticked in Ezran’s head, but he was too drained to pursue whatever it was.

“Um,” Francis was actually a little lost for words for once. “Good… morning.” He managed to utter his usual tact. Ezran too was a little stunned and was left staring at the man who looked more like a gentleman rather than a seasoned soldier. He didn’t have any striking features on his body, but judging by the grip, to call him weak would be more than deceiving.

“This is Commander Archibald.” Gren translated General Amaya’s signs for everyone, including the people who weren’t looking at her at the time. “He loyally served our army for many years and is our quartermaster.”

Archibald was still shaking Francis’s hand with same passionate intensity as before, having failed to look away from Francis or blink even once after all this time. “You are quite a bit obsequious, Archibald, don’t you think?” Francis hinted.

“No, not at all.” Archibald rejected the notion, having finally let go of his hand. “What you have done over the past few years is nothing short of admirable and is deserving of the highest of praise and accolades. Truly, you have done enough to earn your status as a legend now.”

Francis’s head actually jolted backwards at those words. “I would say that’s beyond flattery and already entering the boundaries of sycophancy… not to mention the prematurity of your words.”

Archibald froze a little to the spot. He awkwardly scratched the back of his head. “I’m really sorry if that’s how it came across.” He twiddled his fingers. “I’m just really excited to finally meet an idol of mine.”

“Please, I’m just a normal human being.” Francis highlighted.

“That is not exactly true.” Archibald defended his position. “You’ve done things that others could only dream of trying to do… and you did it successfully: the Pentarchy tournament, surviving four years on your own, bringing the Dragon Prince back home. Not to mention how noble it is of you to fight others without taking their lives.” Ezran spotted the shadow across Francis’s face flash a little darker. “Oh and how could I forget the legendary Battle at The Storm Spire, where you took on eleven people singlehandedly and still won!” The shadow on Francis’s face went darker again and Ezran wished that he wasn’t so tired right now. He really wanted to read his mind to understand why that shadow still remained.

To say that Archibald was a huge fan of Francis was a criminal understatement. This was much worse than when Callum gushed on about him the first time they met at the lake during their adventure. Francis certainly didn’t want it to continue like this. “What I have done is not nearly enough to get me to what you are suggesting and there is tonnes more out there to do… and it certainly wasn’t done alone.”

“Very modest, as usual.” Archibald replied, quickly clapping his hands together. “But you really should give yourself some credit.”

“I’m sorry, I would love to chat, but we really need to start the meeting, so if you’ll excuse me I’ll be off with the King and General Amaya.” Francis said quickly.

“Yes, of course, I must prepare.” Archibald clapped his hands in excitement a couple of times. “General Amaya did give me permission to be present, so I should get ready.” He turned and rushed out of the tent.

“General Amaya?” Francis turned to her and she looked at him with an apologetic expression. “Would Soren still be responsible for putting guards up during the King’s royal business?” She nodded. He turned to Soren. “I don’t want any nobles meddling in our king’s business, so don’t let any of them pass.”

“You can do that?” Soren and Ezran exclaimed at the same time.

“Well, I’m the one who proposed UXaC and its system.” Francis said. “And considering that I am the leader of the New Dragonguard and the Grand Army, I am in the position to call the shots.”

“System? Grand Army? New Dragonguard?” Ezran was a little overwhelmed. “What does it all mean?”

“How about we go up the Storm Spire and you’ll learn all about it up there?” Francis extended his hand to Ezran.

He nodded with excitement and took it.

* * *

To be back to where the climax of their adventure occurred felt surreal and incredible. Ezran’s giddiness knew no boundaries. His eyes shone an electric blue and he could barely pace himself at a walking speed. Once he made it to the top before the bridge, he certainly wanted to stop and enjoy the field of clouds below him. Ezran could feel that they were in a hurry, so it was surprising when Francis allowed him to do the latter… although that little mischievous smirk of his was telling. He suddenly whistled very loudly and then moved away from him. Ezran looked at him confused. Then he started hearing hard and quick flapping, with very eager and rapid breathing approaching him. When Ezran looked to see the source of this electrifying excitement that tingled his body, all he saw was a flash of light blue, as he was promptly tackled off his feet and a heavy, but happy, prince planted himself on Ezran’s chest.

“Zym!” Ezran exclaimed, ignoring the pain he just experienced from that, as he got showered in plethora of zappy kisses, as he liked to call it. General Amaya, Archibald, Marcos and Soren all looked on with concern over King Ezran, wondering if he was fine after that.

 _Have you brought the jelly tarts that you keep mentioning in your letters?_ Zym tilted his head, cooing and trilling.

“No, Barius unfortunately couldn’t come.” Ezran laughed, before scratching Zym’s snout. “I missed you so much! How much have you grown!” The Dragon Prince, Azymondias, certainly was no little one-month old baby dragon. The two year old was now just about as big as Ezran was, as he sat on top of him, crushing his upper body. Ezran couldn’t move at all… and to be fair that wasn’t so bad, at least it was a great friend of his that was crushing him right now.

“Zym,” Francis scolded him lightly, as he wagged his finger at him. “I told you many times that you are a little too big to be doing that now. You can really hurt someone like that.” Zym whimpered a little as he apologetically stepped off of Ezran and looked up at Francis with his tail in between his legs. “Don’t you give me that look, we’ve been over this before and you know what your mother will say about this.”

Ezran took the time to get back on his feet. That tackle certainly winded him. When Ezran was ready to move on, Francis quickly hurried him and the rest of them towards the black wooden doors that led to the meeting room. Once again, Ezran was greeted to a high ceiling with a hole that was supposed to be for the dragons to fly in and out, but otherwise created a draft. He saw the round table where two years ago they conjured up a plan for the battle that would become known across the entire of Xadia as The Battle at The Storm Spire. He stared at that relatively small table now, as he remembered two very key people in that discussion that weren’t here with them today… and how he still had to tell Francis about them.

Francis shook him by his shoulder to bring his attention at the actual table where the council was going to take place. The round table before them was made of black marble and was much bigger than the one before him, it dwarfed it in fact.

He looked around at the people who were present for this council meeting. There were some familiar faces: Ibis, Queen Aanya and Golden Knight Janai were sitting at the table, involved in a flowing discussion. The great Dragon Queen Zubeia was sitting behind the main table, with Zym quickly cuddling beside her front paw.

Beside Queen Aanya were two more people. Ezran recognised the man with short brown hair and a blue and white military outfit, as Jonathan, the general of the Duren army. Beside him was a stunningly beautiful lady around Francis’s age, with wise blue eyes and curly hair that went down to her shoulders. The strands started off as brown but went lighter, almost blond at the end of them. It gave off a very golden brown shine off of her that framed her soft face, straight but small nose and pink lips. Her very well defined clavicles peered through her burgundy top with floral-like weaving white and blue lines. Below her left sleeve, there seemed to be something akin to a pad on her forearm. Considering how similar she looked to Jonathan, Ezran concluded that she had to be his daughter.

Ezran never seen someone so beautiful in his life before, apart from Callum’s depiction of their mother. That young woman made Ezran think of a girl he met and liked but could never get to know better with his responsibilities as a king and the limited free time he had. He wistfully remembered Ellis and Ava. They were a great duo and Ellis was very funny as well.

Beside Janai, sat Ignatius and Sabah in their turquoise capes with a golden sash over their Sunfire elf armour. However Ezran’s eyes immediately switched onto the Moonshadow elf that sat opposite them. He was on his own, as he sat with his hands together in front of him and his eyes closed. He then slowly lifted his hands to the braids that surrounded his head and felt them one by one. He was wearing a teal robe that smoothly ran down to the floor, giving off a magical dreamy-like appearance. Underneath his robe he wore a tight indigo outfit, with a white belt on his torso. The elf also had great arching horns that had silver cufflinks on the bottom and a small lunar white chain that looped to the top. It was held in place by small golden covers at the very tip of his horns. Ezran suddenly saw one of his eyes open and stare at him. He quickly looked away, going a little red as a result.

The meeting was ready to be started, as Ezran took his seat at the table, with General Amaya, Commander Gren, Soren, Marcos and Archibald all taking a seat beside him. Francis sat down at the helm of the round table in front of Queen Zubeia, sweeping the room in earnest cold wind. Doing this was a big moment for him to achieving his life’s goals… and he came across as calm and decisive, even if Ezran knew he was just a little bit nervous. He did however look intense and incredibly serious, as he flicked his forelock to make it stand sharper and straighter.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Francis started off, sounding incredibly formal, bringing everyone’s attention to him. “I, Francis, am glad to officially start the first annual meeting of the United Xadian Council. Today’s discussions will involve outlining the role and structure of the council and then we will discuss our very first emergency incident. Firstly, I want to quickly introduce everyone and explain a few absences. Today we have the familiar faces of the Dragon Queen and Prince, Queen Aanya of Duren, King Ezran of Katolis and Golden Knight Janai of Lux Aurea. I’m sure you are all well aware of each other, since you all met at The Battle.” The personas who were mentioned all silently nodded. “We also have Ibis, the Sky Mage, acting as a representative of Princeps Thelma.”

“Yes. She was only recently elected by our people, so she unfortunately couldn’t arrive today.” Ibis clarified.

“I must say, I highly respect the democratic electoral system of the Skywing elves.” Francis commented. “You are ahead of your times and it is perhaps the future of leadership. Maybe the Human Kingdoms could follow your example someday. Although it is risky to rely completely on fickle public opinion.”

“We attempt to avoid that by only having the educated population being eligible for a vote.” Ibis said evenly. “We are still learning and continuously improving it.”

“As you should.” Francis said and quickly moved on. “Now, allow me to introduce you Head Varian, the leader of the Moonshadow elves.”

Varian quietly bowed his head. “May the moon shine brightly upon you.” His voice was soothingly soft and gentle, that gave off a very pious feeling to Ezran.

“Head Varian of the Moon Meadows is the appointed leader of all the guilds, unions and associations across all the Moonshadow villages of Eastern Xadia.” Francis went on to explain. “He has been appointed by the head council leaders of each town and village.”

“I’m here on their behalf, keeping their consensus, wishes, needs and goals in mind.” Varian agreed. Ezran wondered how he managed all of that.

“Now, to explain the absences,” Francis moved on. “We’ve had no response from either of the Earthblood elves’ Orders and Ocean Maata has abstained from sending her representative for now.”

“What is Ocean Maata?” Ezran asked, feeling suddenly all eyes twist to him, giving him an unpleasant association.

“You mean ‘who’.” Francis gave a little chuckle and his smile made him look more at ease, more open. “Maata is a Tidebound Archdragon, that lives all the way East at the Tidebound Archipelago.” He looked happy to explain. “She is what you would call a Queen, but Tidebound elves have different titles. Ocean is the highest you can have and she is the only one who can officially have that title.” He looked at him to make sure that Ezran had no more questions and then his characteristic warmth went earnest cold, as he continued with the council. “Speaking of Human Kingdoms, the other three kingdoms have not replied at all whatsoever, leaving us with just Duren and Katolis.”

“It seems that humans aren’t so united.” Varian stated. “Are you sure this UXaC idea is going to work?”

“Absolutely.” Francis replied immediately.

“Even if you are still missing half of the leaders of our world.” Varian pointed out, clearly testing him. “Technically speaking, over half since Earthblood elves also suffer from disunity and have two separate Orders as a result.”

“That does not faze me,” Francis replied. “When we start showing results, not only they will join us, they will also contribute men to the Grand Army, just like I was promised by the Kingdom of Duren, the Skywing elves and Tidebound elves.”

“That is later, which is hypothetical.” Varian pressed. “The cycle of life and death waits for no one; with limited time, things must be done now. Right now, I am not particularly filled with confidence when looking at this council that is missing over half of the world’s leaders.”

Even if Ezran wasn’t the subject of this pressure, he could still feel the awful tension it brought to the pits of his stomach. The rest of the people that were present at the council silently watched on the edge of their seats at the two men, waiting who would come out on top. They shot each other narrow searching glances… and then Francis smirked. “You’ve forgotten, Head Varian, that I have spoken to you before.” Varian’s expression was unreadable, but his body was a little more tense than it used to be. “If what you said was truly the case, then you wouldn’t be here.” Ezran watched Varian visibly stutter, as his eyes widened. “You wouldn’t have made it all the way here from Moon Meadows, if you had serious doubts. You must have reason to believe or at least suspect that this is possible.”

Varian regained his composure. He didn’t look particularly upset by being caught out there. “I’ve heard what you have done in Silvergrove. It was very gutsy and steadfast on the brink of suicidal for you to go to the village and challenge their council to the Lunar Duel, fighting their and by extension our best prospect.”

Ezran wondered what was that all about, but even if he didn’t understand, ‘Lunar Duel’ didn’t sound particularly safe.

“Well, if they had listened to me the first time, I wouldn’t have had to go so far.” Francis said a little sterner. “And when words fall on deaf ears, there is only one thing that can back them up and make them take you seriously – action.”

“His social exile hadn’t exactly gone smooth nor had our kind took a clear stance over his actions.” Varian said. “They started asking questions.”

“Head Varian, let’s worry about this later.” Francis replied.

Varian regarded him in silence for a little, before he went on. “So, you’ve mentioned ‘showing results’ – what exact results are you hoping to achieve with this council?”

“I’m glad you’ve looped us back to the topic at hand.” Francis said earnestly. “I’ve come with this idea to try and mend the relations between humans and elves and build upon them, in hopes that maybe one day we would live side-by-side again.”

“How exactly is the council going to help us with this?” Ibis inquired.

“The plan is to hold meetings which each head of the state at the Storm Spire every year on the same day as The Battle at The Storm Spire to discuss any prevalent issues and situations.” Francis explained. “I hope that we can tackle and solve problems together and push onto a brighter future.”

“Is this meeting going to happen only once a year?” Queen Aanya asked.

“For now, yes, but in the future we would like to increase the frequency as we grow.” Francis replied. “Unless of course, there is an emergency that may affect the entirety of Xadia. Speaking of which, Golden Knight Janai, I think now might be the best time to discuss this.”

Janai quickly nodded and cleared her throat. “I would like to use this council to bring up an emergency incident. Although it pains me to say, we have a situation which we cannot solve on our own. We need your help with restoring our corrupted Sun Forge.”

“I do not mean to be rude,” Varian began. “But why hold a meeting over this Sun Forge incident? Surely it is only relevant to the Sunfire elves?”

Francis sharply turned his head to him, looking a little displeased at that comment. “Just because it is in Lux Aurea, doesn’t mean that we can’t help. Regardless, I’m afraid the corruption presents a threat to all of Xadia.”

“How so?” Ezran asked.

Francis took a deep breath. “Ever since The Eclipse of Lux Aurea, when the stronghold fell to Viren and he corrupted and took some the Sun Forge’s energy, we have tried to repair the city. The Forge remains the only area that has not been repaired yet. Nearly a year and a half ago we sent a team consisting of seven members, with one leader, to fix it. As it turned out, the epicentre of the Forge emits a corrupting area that is highly lethal.” Francis’s voice grew colder. “Nearly the entire team died pretty much as soon as they entered the area of effect. All but one member of the team survived – the despicable leader.” Francis shook his head. “That leaden shame and guilt will burden him forever.”

When Francis stopped speaking, Ezran managed to catch Aunt Amaya’s and Janai’s faces. They were looking at Francis with sympathy… and Aunt Amaya’s expression was exactly the same as it was back in the tent.

“Francis, how many times do I have to tell you?” Janai spoke. “It wasn’t his fault! He didn’t know that there was danger in the first place! The top of the Sun Forge was already damaged from The Eclipse!”

Francis did not look at her, as the shadow on his face went a little darker. “Whether he did or didn’t know, the fact remains the same – it was his fault for leading the team to its doom.” He replied coldly. “As the leader, he should have also died for making that misjudgement, but he lives… and that mistake will be with him forever. He failed me. He let me down… just like he let that team down. It’s unforgivable.” He sighed and shook his head.

“I beg your pardon,” Varian said. “But I still don’t quite get why Lux Aurea’s Sun Forge affects us and the entirety of Xadia.”

Janai quickly looked at Francis, but he remained silent, so she answered. “When the incident occurred that area of effect was just past the top of the Sun Forge’s stairs.”

“It is now, way over half way down the said stairs.” Francis finished Janai’s point. “That area of effect is very visible now, as anything within it – rocks, bricks, plants, grass – it withers and decays it. We have no idea when and where it’ll stop… if it’ll stop.”

Everyone exchanged an uneasy look. “Have you tried using Sunfire Mages to cleanse the area?” Varian checked.

“Why do you think this council is taking place two years and not one year after The Battle?” Francis looked and sounded irritated. “I tracked, went to and contacted every single Sunfire Mage out there – nothing, absolutely nothing!” He shook his fist, doing his best not to slam the table with it. His ire grew. “It’s like whatever is inside that Forge just repels it, as if it knows what Sun Magic is about and what the Mages are going to cast. Worst of all is that the border growth was slow, but it seems to get slightly quicker with every day. If we don’t sort this out now, then it will quickly become a problem that’s on everyone’s borders.”

The hall suddenly submerged in tense awkward silence, as everyone just looked at each other. They really didn’t know if this would stop at Lux Aurea or if it would try to swallow the whole world. In any case, leaving this alone felt very dangerous. Ezran decided to break the heavy silence. “Is there a solution to this?”

“This is partly why we are having this meeting right now.” Janai pointed out.

“We’ve tried the obvious solution, but it didn’t work.” Francis said, as he put his hands up to his chin to rest his head on it. He looked pensively around. “So now we open this to you and search for any conventional or unconventional answers.”

“I’m afraid we do not possess anything that can help you.” Queen Aanya decreed. “Duren does not have magic and any solutions will involve one of my subjects to get close to that Forge, which as you said is deadly.”

“By the way, how did that one person survive?” Ibis asked.

“With great difficulty.” Francis replied almost bitterly.

“We don’t really know.” Janai added. “He wasn’t able to put it into words… or at least when he did, the solution wasn’t a tangible one.”

“Are you suggesting that it is a gamble?” Queen Zubeia asked, involving herself for the first time.

“Something like that.” Francis said. “He wasn’t able to describe it very clearly, since it seemed to come from within him.”

“Whatever that solution is, he still suffered greatly by the sounds of it.” Varian pointed out. “It doesn’t sound encouraging at all. I do not know what I can suggest or what my people can do. However, I’m certainly not throwing my people at it in hopes that there is a chance to stop it.”

“I’m afraid I must agree with Head Varian there.” Ibis said, crossing his arms.

“So, you would rather do nothing now?” Francis asked, with a dangerously cold tone in his voice. “We have a potential calamity on our doorsteps and you would rather do nothing about it?”

“What can we do about it?” Queen Aanya retorted.

“You know exactly what I mean, Queen Aanya.” Francis wasn’t backing down. “From those answers I know exactly what’s going to happen. You are all going to return to your residences and then immediately forget about this problem, because you need to focus on dealing with your states and people.” He looked everyone dead in the eye and no one dared to object his claim. “For the past year and a half, Golden Knight Janai and I, have tirelessly searched for potential solutions and we still haven’t given up! You already want to give up before it even started!” Ezran watched all of the leaders look uncomfortably away in guilt. Their statements weren’t necessarily lies or wrong, but Francis also had a point.

“We hear you.” Varian said calmly. “However, this brings me back to the point I made earlier. I believe we need everyone here for this, but we are still missing over half of the world’s leaders. How are you going to make them recognise UXaC and actually help you out?”

“I would like to direct your attention to the structure of UXaC for this.” Francis replied. “The Grand Army is UXaC’s military that combines soldiers from all states. They are going to be led by at least one designated Commander from their state. We already have Marcos from Katolis and Sabah and Ignatius from Lux Aurea. Of course, you and your representatives have priority over them only when it comes to these meetings. However there is a designated group that leads the entirety of UXaC on a permanent basis.”

“And is that group going to help spread word of UXaC?” Varian double-checked.

“Yes,” Francis replied. “Queen Zubeia in fact is going to make an announcement about it.”

She calmly nodded and rose off the ground. “In light of the changing times and in line with the aims of UXaC, I have decided to create the New Dragonguard.” Unlike the humans, who still didn’t fully grasp the idea of Dragonguard, the elves gasped and stared at her with wide eyes. It seemed to Ezran that the New Dragonguard was kept a secret from everyone for a long time.

“How exactly does it differ from the Dragonguard?” Varian asked.

“The New Dragonguard leads and represents UXaC and as such is not entirely bound to me or any of the future successors.” Queen Zubeia explained. “Anyone is eligible to be appointed to the New Dragonguard, as long as they don’t already serve as leaders of their factions or the Grand Army. They are appointed by me and the leader of the New Dragonguard.”

“That would be me.” Francis replied calmly and unceremoniously, before anyone could ask. Judging by the lack of reaction, no one had a problem with that.

“We wanted to have two more members to be appointed today.” Queen Zubeia said.

“Unfortunately neither Callum nor Rayla are here today.” Francis pointed out. Ezran’s stomach sunk at that. He had noticed after all. Considering his keen eyes, it was naïve to think that he wouldn’t. “Which leaves just me as the sole New Dragonguard.” He let out a quiet sigh and then straightened his back and quickly moved on. “However, I have an idea in mind to solve this slight issue and have one more person to become part of the New Dragonguard.”

Queen Zubeia tilted her head at him. “I wasn’t informed about this.”

“I’m sorry Queen Zubeia, but I didn’t have the time to tell you, because I came up with this very recently.” Francis admitted, then spoke pointedly loudly. “I can train an apprentice while we travel, before they become officially appointed at the next year’s meeting. For this, I need someone’s help.” Ezran knew Francis well enough to know that it was a signal to a certain individual. He looked around the table to see if anyone was reacting. Beside Jonathan that young woman was looking uncertainly to the side. It had to be her cue. Francis waited momentarily before continuing. “I have no one right now, who is available to fill in Callum’s and Rayla’s roles. Which is why I wanted to ask Marie to come as an apprentice.” Ezran watched her twist her head in his direction, looking a little taken aback and overwhelmed by such a proposition. Her father had a similar surprised expression on his face… and it didn’t go unnoticed by Francis. “I know she is your only child, Jonathan, so I understand if you say no.”

“I trust you.” Jonathan said decisively, quickly regaining his composure. “You protect people and their safety is your priority. As long as Marie has no objections, then I have none.” Although there was a little nervousness about him, he did look surprisingly calm and even a little happy with this arrangement. Marie on the other hand looked as if she was a little shy to suddenly speak. If she wasn’t so eye-catching, Ezran maybe would have even forgotten that she was there, considering how quiet she was. He thought that maybe she was just a little nervous with all of the attention she was receiving, a feeling he knew well.

“Yeah, with Francis at the helm, we’ve made it with Zym all the way from Katolis to the Storm Spire in one piece.” Ezran tried to help her direct some of the eyes away from her. “And he teaches you so many new and cool things, let alone never stopping talking about Eastern Xadia. He will be a great teacher.”

She took a deep breath and bowed her head. “Then I shall graciously accept this honour.”

Just as she said that, someone knocked on the door and immediately entered. It was a female Katolis soldier, who must have been left on guard duty by Soren. “Queen Zubeia, New Dragonguard Francis. We just received a letter from the Order of Druids.”

“Bring it over here now!” Francis ordered, jumping from his chair and almost running to her. She quickly handed him the letter and he tore the seal off and immediately devoured the words, his eyes darting along the page scarily quickly. The longer he read, the more his eyes began to glow.

“What does it say?” Queen Zubeia inquired.

“They explain a reason for why they’re absent,” Francis said still reading the letter. “But most importantly they claim that they know how they can fix the Sun Forge.”

Ezran lit up, as much as Francis’s eyes were right now. That was great piece of news. However the elves didn’t look so enthusiastic about it. “What do they want from us?” Varian asked, clear exasperation breaking through his controlled voice.

“They are requesting UXaC’s presence at their courtroom, in order to help them with something.” Francis replied.

“With what exactly?” Ibis also sounded exasperated.

“I have a feeling it has to do with their internal divide.” Janai had a similar expression.

“They didn’t state, but it doesn’t matter.” Francis decidedly walked back to his seat and placed his palms on the table. “This is the only lead we currently have and we must use it! We should move out as quickly as possible!”

“The entire UXaC?” Queen Aanya asked.

“If you wish to come.” Francis said. “We’ll be accompanied by the Grand Army.” Queen Aanya didn’t reply back immediately. “I must however double-check if you will be willing to provide some of your men to our army.”

Queen Aanya shook her head. “I want to remain cautious for now. Before I am fully willing to commit my people to being a part of the Grand Army, I need to see that there will be something to commit to by the end of this. I do know however that General Jonathan has been very enthusiastic on this idea.” He nodded in agreement, as Queen Aanya continued. “In the meantime, I will try and help find any possible solutions for the Sun Forge problem. However I think what Varian said earlier is very true – The Human Kingdoms haven’t shown up. I will look to help you on that front.”

“What about the rest?”

“Lux Aurea will follow UXaC to help you on this journey.” Janai decreed.

“I will too,” Ibis said. “I will relay back the information about the Sun Forge and providing soldiers to Princeps Thelma.”

Varian took a little longer to respond. “I will spread the news around the villages of our brethren and see what I can do from there. However on the topic of providing military to the Grand Army, I will only do that if you are able to solve this issue.”

“Ezran?” Francis turned to him.

“I will come with you.” Ezran replied very quickly. Anything to spend more time here with Francis and away from the castle. He was expecting someone from behind to suddenly intervene and try to urge, pressure or coerce him otherwise, but for once no one questioned or commented his decision. It felt great and almost too good to be true.

“Well, we all have something to do before we inevitably report our findings to each other.” Francis stated. “Unless anyone has any other matters to speak about,” he looked around and patiently waited if anyone would respond. When no one said anything, he concluded. “This council is adjourned.”

* * *

Francis was looking around the main hall of the residence, side-eying the mischievous looking Zym whose eyes followed his every single move. He sat in front of the entrance to his mother’s chambers right in between the two dragon statues. Francis could of course use his mind that was now better refined in searching for auras, but that would be cheating and not particularly fun. Besides he didn’t know how long he would have to spend concentrating and meditating in order to locate where Ezran was hiding with pin-point accuracy. Nevertheless, considering Zym’s position, he had a good idea of where Ezran might have been.

When he came close to him, Zym got up and growled quietly at him. That reaction might have been pointing to the fact that Francis was very close to finding Ezran. “Hey, it’s not my fault that you are bad at hide-and-seek when compared to the masterful Ezran.” He played it off. Judging by the poorly supressed giggle he heard, Ezran was definitely behind the left statue. “So… Azymondias. You wouldn’t perhaps know of Ezran’s whereabouts?”

Zym sat back down and gave him a firm bark.

“Are you sure?”

Zym tilted his head, looking innocently into his eyes.

“Don’t you give me that puppy-eyed look!” He pointed at him. “I know you are covering for him. I can see right through you!”

Zym jolted back and tilted his head even more. He cooed inquisitively.

“No, not literally! It’s a phrase!” He shook his head, whilst waving his arms around.

“Are you… talking to a dragon?” Marie’s voice suddenly came from behind him.

Francis’s brain almost stopped processing. Her presence suddenly made things brighter around her, as her golden-brown hair – her strands like sunrays – shone a pleasant morning sunlight. _How long has she been there?_ He wondered, but on the outside he remained composed. “Um… what’s wrong?” He asked nonchalantly, as if this was a normal thing humans did.

“It seems four years on your own did do a number on you.” She said light-heartedly with a small but enchanting smile.

“Hey, I’m crazy, but I’m not mad…” Francis disagreed. “And didn’t you know that I can talk to animals?”

She looked extremely intrigued, rather than put-off or weirded-out. “Really?”

“Of course,” he replied casually. “Well, not as good as a certain individual,” he said pointedly loudly. “But if you spend enough time with each other, then you can come to an understanding. Isn’t that right, Your Highness?”

Zym yipped and bowed his head for it to be scratched. Francis of course indulged him and after seeing how Marie was looking at Zym, he invited her to do the same. She looked so pleased to get to feel his mane and his zappy kisses, that her infectious smile grew bigger and her mood-lifting laughter became giddy.

Francis turned back to Zym. “I know you told me not to call you by your royal title, young one, but with others around, it might be wise to keep the courtroom’s etiquette.” He explained. “Now, speaking of the other royal young one, if you tell me where he is, then I will let you try The Sun’s Zenith.”

Zym wiggled his tail and pranced around him in excitement.

“Zym!” He scolded lightly. “How can you sell out your friend like that? Have you no honour?” He waggled his finger at him. “Never sell your friends out under any circumstances! Besides I already figured out where he is and I was going to give you the fruit anyway. In fact,” he took out a few of the said fruit and extended his hand to Marie. “You look like you really want to feed the cute prince.”

“Can I?” She asked excitedly.

“Of course you can, Marie.”

“Thank you.”

Francis nodded and once she took the fruit, he cupped his hands around his mouth. “Ezran, come out from behind that dragon statue on the left.”

“Oh, come on,” Ezran lamented.

“I guess Bait wins.” Francis shrugged his shoulders. “The worst one at hide-and-seek actually wins a round. Where is that glowtoad, anyway?”

He heard Marie quietly giggling beside him and he looked at her. She smirked at the boys, as a grumpy face peaked from behind her hair and over her shoulder… _So it wasn’t her presence that was shining all this time?_ Francis drooped his shoulders in disappointment, before promptly smacking his own face in embarrassment. However to his reassurance, she was still shining just as brightly even when Bait jumped into Ezran’s arms.

“You know what, we should take it outside!” Ezran challenged, but then as soon as he looked at the exit, he noticed how noticeably darker it was. “It’s sunset already?”

“We have been out here for a long time.” Francis pointed out.

“I do want to see the sunset from the pinnacle again.” Ezran thought out loud.

“Then let’s go and watch it together then,” Francis supported his decision. “You have heard my conversation with Zym, right?”

* * *

As Francis and Ezran dangled their feet over the edge, they enjoyed slices of The Sun’s Zenith. Ezran never had anything like that before in his life. The fruit itself was the size of a very big apple – it barely fit on one of his palms. The fruit itself was overflowing with soft and warm colours of yellow and pink, like the skies were right now during the sunset, but on the inside it was fiery orange like the sun itself. As one would expect from anything to do with the Sunfire Primal, the fruit was very warm to the touch, brimming with nutrients and vitamins that were inside it.

“These brilliant fruits are freshest when they are hot and actually get colder over time, so you can easily judge how long you have left until the fruit is spoiled.” Francis pointed out. “They are actually hot when they are first harvested, so usually they use gloves of Sunfire magic to do it. These things are a saviour during cold winters and dark dreary nights.”

Ezran sunk his teeth into a slice of The Sun’s Zenith and immediately he felt the spiciness of the fruit splash around in his mouth as his taste buds were pleasantly caressed with bursting sweetness and pleasant heat. It gave a good kick to his body, as he was infused with the warmth of the sun. Bait was also turning into different shades of red, yellow, pink and orange and Ezran had to prevent his tongue from trying to eat any more of the slices from his hand. “I want an infinite supply of this!” Ezran demanded.

“Wow, that’s big! You want an infinite supply of anything other than jelly tarts?” Francis mocked him lightly.

“Oh, jelly tarts with the flavour of The Sun’s Zenith!” Ezran held his head like he just had a eureka moment. “That is genius!”

“Don’t forget to add me as co-creator of the idea.” Francis nudged him.

“I won’t, I won’t.” He reassured, before Francis playfully ruffled his hair.

“You know, this isn’t even the best thing about this fruit.”

“There is more?” Ezran couldn’t believe it.

“Of course!” Francis took several slices of the fruit. “Let me show you!”

He put those slices in his mouth at the same time and very quickly chewed on them. Ezran watched his face turn red, before he swallowed and took a deep breath through his nose. As he rapidly blew the air out of his mouth, flames erupted from it in a careful and controlled stream. Francis looked at him, as soon as he was done blowing out air, to see his reaction. “See, it’s not just the dragons who can breathe fire.”

With his jaw slackened, Ezran was looking where the flames were a second ago, simply awestruck. Before he could do or say anything, he felt Bait steal the slices from his hand and burp fire as a result. Without saying anything, Ezran put a few slices in his own mouth and feeling the parching heat coming up his throat, he blew out all of the air in his lungs and violently shook his head around.

Francis leaned away from Ezran’s blazing fire, his hand quickly shooting up to his hair. “Don’t singe my forelock! It’s not suitable candle material!”

Ezran giggled at him. “Well, your posture, expression and clothing is already shining. Why not make you shine physically?” He then started to laugh loudly and uncontrollably, holding his belly.

“Why are you laughing so hard?” Francis gave him a concerned look.

He wiped a tear away from his cheek. “I just imagine you walking around in total darkness with that acting as your candle light.” He pointed to his forelock. “It would look…”

“Totally ridiculous.” Francis finished his sentence for him. “I share that point of view.”

“This has got to be the sweetest and spiciest fruit to ever exist in Xadia!” He decreed.

“Actually,” Ezran could feel Francis putting his invisible scholarly glasses on. “According to many accounts, the Greeting Berries that Earthblood Mages grow during court are supposed to be the sweetest ones in the world.” Ezran looked at Francis inquisitively. “They perform a spell for any guests and grow these white berries from their hand as a sign of goodwill and omen. Of course, because of that symbol, they are always very sweet.”

“Oooh, and we’ll get to try them in a few weeks’ time?”

“Naturally, as guests, yes.” Francis nodded.

“I can’t wait to see the Order of Druids.” Ezran rested his head on his hands, staring dreamily into the sunset.

“So, King Ezran, how is running a kingdom? How is Katolis?” Francis asked. Ezran felt a huge strain reappear in his body as soon as ‘king’ was mentioned. It also must have been visible in his demeanour or expression. “My instincts were right after all – you are stressed out by it.”

Ezran sighed. “I don’t know what I’m doing wrong,” he admitted. “I’m constantly trying and doing things, meeting people, trying to decide on new laws, involving myself in everything… and yet people are still unhappy.”

“People will always be unhappy, it’s the sad truth of life.” Francis told him. “Wherever you go there will always be doubters and opposition and it only takes one person to speak out to spark the protests.”

“Isn’t that bad?” He asked.

“Depends,” Francis shrugged his shoulders. “You can’t please everyone, so you have to choose who you want to support.”

“But if everyone is saying that I’m not doing well or they think that I’m wrong, then it must be the case, right?”

“It doesn’t matter what everyone is saying or thinking.” Francis put an arm around his shoulder. “What truly matters is what the people you really care about, who also really care about you, think and say. They are the ones who are going to support you and not do things solely for themselves.”

“Isn’t it tiring though?” Ezran searched his eyes. “Isn’t it annoying to constantly be at odds with others.”

“No,” Francis replied. “I pity those who direly oppose me. They just either don’t want to face the truth or are blind to it.”

“I’m just so tired of it,” Ezran admitted, then pointedly looked up towards his crown. “It feels like that binding that Rayla had that just relentlessly keeps going tighter and tighter… or heavier and heavier. I almost don’t want to do this anymore; I don’t know what to do anymore.”

“Such is life of a leader, Ez.” Francis pulled him a little closer and he felt his sturdy grip around him. “We are on a diplomatic mission, so unfortunately this isn’t really the time for frolicking and playing.”

Ezran’s shoulders sagged and his breath went a little shaky. “Am I just a bad king?”

“Just because you are struggling in the face of tough times? Absolutely not.” Francis insisted. “Not many people with so little experience and at such a tender age would stand up and take on such a responsibility as leading a whole kingdom. You even had a chance to appoint a regent and you still stood your ground and said that you are doing this your way. That is admirable and the fact that people defected away from Viren in your favour is testament to how much they trust you and believe in you. And even if you tell me that that was two years ago, then how about all the soldiers you brought over for today’s council?” He again lifted Ezran’s chin to make him look in the eyes. “Remember what I said to you at the tent. There are people with you who will support you, always. You can do this.”

He felt a little more confident in himself now. Perhaps he could turn a corner. “What’s going wrong for me then?”

“I think you are spreading yourself thin by the sounds of it.” Francis told him. “I think you need to dedicate some time to thinking what you really want and what reliable people you want to have around you, who will help you with your agendas.”

“I know what I want,” Ezran said pensively. “But I’m not sure how I want to do it; how I’m going to achieve it.”

“Maybe you should look at what others are doing here and see whether it does or doesn’t fit you.” Francis hinted. “Leadership isn’t unique to one specific person, so there’s bound to be overlap with someone.”

“I’ll think about it,” Ezran considered.

“Just promise me you’ll remain focused throughout this mission.” Francis demanded.

“I will.” Ezran nodded.

“I would also recommend to switch off occasionally,” Francis said. “Perhaps back in Katolis you can dedicate some time of the day to where you don’t think about being a king at all. Do you spend time with anyone around your age?”

“Very rarely.” Ezran replied. “Although there has been this girl I’ve been spending time with.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, she’s really nice and funny.” Ezran continued passionately. “She reminds of Ellis quite a bit.”

“Do you like her?” Francis asked.

“I’m not sure,” Ezran scratched his head.

“Am I supposed to believe that?” Francis smirked.

“Why? What’s wrong?”

“You are blushing.” Francis crooned.

“Okay, maybe I do like her,” Ezran admitted. “I want to hang out more with her, but I just don’t have enough time.” He heard Francis sigh heavily at that, as he looked a little downcast to the side. Ezran got curious. He never heard Francis talk about his love interests, despite how normally open he was. “Is there someone on your mind?” He probed cautiously.

Francis didn’t reply immediately. He remained pensively looking to the side, but then he looked outward to the horizon again. “There is someone.”

“Who is she?”

“I can’t tell you,” Francis let a small smile escape his lips. “That would be very dangerous information for you to have on me.”

Ezran pouted. Even if he complained, there was no way he would get anything out of Francis. “Is she pretty?” He decided to ask.

He carefully regarded Francis. There was an easiness in his shoulders that Ezran hadn’t seen at all throughout that day. Come to think of it, whenever he wasn’t talking about UXaC or the mission and was instead around others, he looked much more relaxed and visibly happy. There was a much softer edge to the tilt of his head now as he wistfully stared into the distance beyond the sunset, beyond the horizon. “She is so beautiful and wonderful, she would make the Duren roses blush.”

He must have been thinking about her, he had to. Ezran decided to test out his steadily developing empathy ability, as he concentrated and focused his mind on Francis. He was more or less recovered to try and do it again and maybe this time, considering that the thoughts wouldn’t be so vicious or hostile, he wouldn’t be left so weary. He silently stared at Francis to try and gather his thoughts. His face suddenly twitched and then frowned, making Ezran immediately lose his concentration.

“Ezran, why are you staring at me so intensely?” He asked him without looking in his direction, sounding very serious. Ezran was guiltily silent. “You’re trying to do something and I can feel it.”

“You can feel it?!” Ezran exclaimed. He really hoped that it was just him who could feel it, otherwise he would feel very exposed if people found out about this unnatural empathy ability of his.

“Yes,” Francis told him, sounding displeased. “I am impressed that you have improved upon your power after that episode you had with Callum, but you cannot intrude into other people’s minds like that. It’s rude and extremely off-putting, so don’t use it when you don’t have to.”

“Okay, I’m sorry.” Ezran apologised. In retrospect, trying his ability on a person who could sometimes feel auras and also knew about his ability wasn’t the smartest of ideas.

Francis moved on. “So, tell me what you thought about UXaC?”

“I enjoyed it,” Ezran replied, getting really passionate and recalling the meeting they had a few hours ago. “To see so many people and elves was something special and the discussions were interesting.”

“It is kind of a given when preparing such a meeting.” Francis pointed out.

“Did you go out and meet with everyone to make this all happen?” Ezran asked.

“Yes, I did it all in person.” Francis replied. “Partly why it took me so long to set this all up.”

“And you came up with everything?”

“Pretty much.”

Ezran was deeply impressed. That must have taken a lot of dedication and determination, not to mention time. He managed to get such a response all on his own. “You truly have touched a lot of people. So many, that you might as well have touched the whole world; there’s no one who hasn’t been affected by your actions.”

Francis looked at him, looking like he went into deep thought. “Everyone… has been touched by my actions?” He repeated.

“Yeah, it’s like a ripple effect.” Ezran went on to explain. “You knew someone very important who knew other important people. So when you asked that person to help you, he involved others to help you as well. It’s almost like a chain reaction.”

“Or a knock-on effect!” Francis’s eyes went really wide. “‘One bond is in reality never single’ – that’s what it means!”

Ezran was lost. “What are you talking about?”

“Oh, nothing. It’s just something that I have been reading.” Francis replied and in true Francis fashion, he quickly moved on. “What I’m really interested about is why Callum and Rayla are not here.”

Ezran sighed. This had been coming for a while now. And so, he told him: about the Nexus, about Callum’s struggles and him escaping. And Francis listened and listened, with the most incorrigible expression on his face. Regardless the unreadable expression, Ezran could feel his pain, how hurt he was to learn the truth of their absence, even if he didn’t need to focus on his mind. Yet, he didn’t show a single sign of pain… only that faint shadow was still on his face, all this time. No matter how much he was at ease, it was always hanging there. Ezran had a feeling that he wouldn’t tell and using his powers wouldn’t be very wise of him.

Ezran’s thoughts were interrupted when he felt a very chilly breeze rush around him. The sun was almost gone. “We should go downstairs and get you inside.” Francis said. “General Amaya and the rest of the Katolis contingent will be unhappy if you catch a cold.”

“It would be totally worth it.” Ezran stated. “The sunset was beautiful… and thank you so much for The Sun’s Zenith.”

“You’re welcome,” Francis replied. “But do you know what’s also beautiful.” He urged him to look behind. On the opposite end of the sky, the white moon was rising. It was full and coming closer to them.

* * *

Francis sat cross-legged on the platform opposite the main residence, looking outward over the edge. His arms rested on his knees and he had his eyes closed, shutting everything out to meditate.

 _One bond is in reality never single._ He kept repeating the passage from the diary that he got from the back of a bookshelf in a library on the Tidebound Archipelago. The extremely rare Ice Primal that the person in the diary discussed about, initially made him curious, especially the part about the shared feeling the elf in the diary and Francis had of other people’s auras. However it looked like a false lead, since the diary belonged to a person who lived hundreds of years ago and supposedly performed magic that no one had ever seen or heard about. Even the Tidebound folklore barely mention the elf who did this sort of magic. If it was true, it made him wonder why that was the case. Besides, Francis didn’t have a need for magic, so even if he had a theory that humans could learn to do magic, he didn’t pursue it. However when Callum became a mage, Francis suddenly got very inspired to really test if what was in the diary was true.

Two years of careful, slow and thorough reading led him to this feeling that he was grabbing onto something, that he was being enlightened. No wonder, since the magic was so incredibly sophisticated and required a strong mind and an unwavering mentality to be able to understand and possess it. He had the auras – the people and objects that existed in this world. He had the bonds – connections that existed between separate entities. All he needed now was to have one last thing, an agent that connected all of this together. How did other Primals behave? There was something in this world that could see and affect them, something that was flexible but when challenged became rigid. That something had to be…

His thought process was disrupted, as he acutely felt an aura sneakily approaching… someone who clearly had an eye on him, who was laser-focused on him. “Good evening, Archibald.” Francis said politely, without moving his body even an inch. “I’m a little busy at the moment and I need to be alone. If you have anything urgent, please be quick.”

“H-How did you know it was me?” He heard Archibald’s shocked voice.

“I just guessed.” Francis bluffed. To tell the truth might have been disadvantageous and very time-consuming for him. In fact, he really didn’t want to interact with Archibald too much. He found this obsession strange and a little uncomfortable.

“I’m really sorry,” Archibald lowered his voice to a polite sound level. “I will ask you later.”

Francis didn’t reply back, but he certainly found Archibald’s behaviour too much and over the top. If he was just a little bit calmer around him, then he wouldn’t mind his admiration so much. Otherwise in current scenarios it was a bit hard to believe that Archibald was a military man and Katolis’s long-serving quartermaster. It was a shame that his ill-disciplined behaviour left a bad impression on Francis, since he had never met this obsessed guy at all before this… _wait a minute._

“Archibald,” Francis didn’t even turn his head, remaining stiffly in his position. He stopped him, just before he stepped his foot on the bridge. “How come you weren’t here during The Battle?”

There was silence that went on for longer that Francis thought it would. “I had fallen ill just before Lord Viren set out from Katolis to Xadia.” Archibald replied.

“Eastern Xadia.”

“I greatly apologise. Eastern Xadia.”

“Okay, Archibald,” Francis said. “Now please leave me alone in peace. Could you also tell others not to disturb me unless it is urgent.”

“Very well.” He replied and walked away.

With that out of the way, Francis went back to his thought process. What was the one thing that tied the bonds and auras together? What was that something? Something… or maybe it was someone?

Francis decided to think differently. Instead of thinking about the Primal Sources and each of their basic meanings, he thought of those who performed it. Each Mage that mastered an Arcanum understood the world through that prism. Magic existed in them because they were able to put each of the concepts and beliefs together within them, reflecting it outwards. It was for that reason they were able to have an effect on the world, as they projected and expressed themselves through the Primal. Inevitably, no matter how Francis looked at it, the Mage was a vessel or an agent of Primal Magic. So Francis thought about Ice.

It was a form of water that was abundantly present in the world. It was flexible and could change its state. In order to make it a solid, it needed to form strong bonds. In life, if you needed a solid ground to stand on, you needed to have strong connections. You needed to understand that everything came together to make up this whole world: the dual nature of the Sun’s Light, the depth and changing tides of the Ocean, the cycle of the Moon akin to energy of life and spirits of the dead, the history and natural balance of the Earth, the freedom of the Sky and the Stars that saw beyond our normal perceptions and understanding of time. The concepts were separate and seemingly unrelated but could never exist on their own, because their basic form already connected to everything that existed in this world and universe. The Mage took these concepts and brought it all together in him and used the world around him to cast spells and create a certain outcome. Connected to it, he affected the world around him and the world affected him from where he stood… and if the world was everything, then the Mage’s actions had direct and indirect consequences that rippled from him and then would follow back to him. That was why even if you had one bond, you never truly had just that single one, because the other entity you connected to had bonds that connected to others and so on.

In the end, that someone who connected the auras and bonds of the world was the Mage – it was him.

However the Mage needed the world to be able to produce their magic. It fluctuated completely based on what situation the world threw at him. It provided the elements that the Mage needed to use in order to conjure up the spell, yet Francis knew from Callum’s descriptions that the Arcanum was a connection that sparked inside a living being, it came from within him. Could a Mage bypass the world and rely fully on himself, his inner strength and mind? It would require a strong understanding of one self and the world and an even stronger belief in the stance that one took. He couldn’t see it being a set thing though. People (hopefully) grew wiser and more experienced as times changed. You had to be able to change with the times, yet remain rooted in your convictions. The Ice Arcanum would aid with staying resilient in times of strife.

Francis took a deep breath, as he puzzled everything together. _The life around us is water, the world is dominated by it. Just like water we must be flexible and adapt to our surroundings, but when it comes to times of strife and challenge, we have to assemble all the bonds we possess and become as rigid as ice, so that we stand strong. Everything and everyone in this world possesses a connection, a bond to other entities regardless of their incompatibility, thus having the ability to use and affect it and others down the chain of bonds. Knowing where we stand and how we connect to everything in the world defines our mental strength and ability of our minds to use the bonds efficiently, just as much as they could affect us in return – that is the Arcanum of the Ice._ He concluded. _I am a leader, who constantly pursues a brighter future, whilst trying to always be better, perfect even. I fight with everything I’ve got regardless of who they are, because life is the most beautiful thing we all possess. A victory is hollow and not worth it if you sacrificed a life. I stop at nothing and I will stand tall, even if I can’t anymore. That is me, Francis._

Francis opened his eyes, as he suddenly felt extremely hyper aware of his surroundings. He felt everything with almost unreal and uncanny clarity. He felt the exact distances from him to the rockfaces, the bridge, the edge and steps. He could feel the strength of the wind hitting not just him, but everything that was around him. There was a strange burning in his legs as if he had been climbing the stairs for a while. He could feel his body become really cold, but not just in one place – it fluctuated within him. This had to be it – Ice Magic was storming inside his body. He began to wobble from side to side, trying his best not to fall on the ground. The rare and raw force of the Ice Primal drained him greatly, as his vision went on and off. Weirdly, he felt like he was trying to pull something in with him too or maybe he was a vessel that would pull an aura in if he was touched… where though, he didn’t know. Eventually he passed out.

Francis opened his eyes, still feeling drained from the spiking magic. He was standing on the straight smooth stone floor and he was surrounded by darkness, as a spotlight lit up his immediate area. He didn’t know where he was… and yet for some reason everything felt familiar. Still, wherever he was, it was blandly flat. He grumbled that at least his mind could have come up with something better, like the forest he liked to hang out in as a child.

Suddenly the area around him immediately transformed and he found himself in a segment of that forest he just thought of. He jumped backwards and looked panickily around, as he was very caught off guard by the change. If this was a dream, then perhaps it was a lucid one and he could do anything he wanted to. What was interesting however was that he remembered the exact moments and feelings before he lost consciousness. It was almost as if no time has passed between when he passed out and appeared in this place.

He got an idea. He tried to imagine that he was back there at the Storm Spire… and wouldn’t you know it, he was standing exactly where he was meditating at earlier. He thought about holding a bow… but that didn’t come up. Not off put by the failure, he then thought of the people he saw today and suddenly they appeared before him in form of different bubbles that floated around him. It was their aura. Those he knew better and had stronger auras about them were more physical in their presence before him. Each bubble had small lines coming off of each other and connecting to other auras – the fainter the line, the weaker that connection was.

Everything now clicked in his head. He was sort of sleeping and dreaming, but this place wasn’t a dream, hence why he couldn’t just conjure up everything he wanted, specifically on his own persona. It was the constructs of his mind – his Mind Palace. By being mentally absent from the real world, he could actually search his mind and interact with the bonds and connections he had to the world outside. It was fascinating for him to see some of the diary’s concepts and hints now appear physically before him. He was almost glad that whoever wrote the diary didn’t actually outline any of this in the beginning of the book, because he would have considered that to be crazy talk and he would have put the book back where he found it.

There was however one thing that the book did hint at… and he was beginning to feel very exhausted. To be fair, he didn’t have a lot left ever since he failed to control the Ice Magic coursing through his body. He switched off completely and the entire Mind Palace submerged into darkness. When a couple of minutes had passed, he opened his eyes. He was back at the Storm Spire exactly where he passed out, feeling way more refreshed. Judging by the position of the moon, the exact time he spent in his head passed in the real world. He could control his sleep down to a millisecond and it seemed that in reality his body didn’t need much of it anyway. Just a few minutes was enough for him to feel like he had slept for three or four hours. He could just simply switch off and give his body the exact amount of time it truly needed to recharge.

He looked at his hands, suddenly simultaneously feeling unbridled passion and a new level of responsibility surging into him. He stretched his hand out and willed for an ice wall to appear before him. It did as he commanded, however it was a little inconsistent in width and height and he felt quite a bit of energy depart him for such a simple spell. The magic was still settling in and the diary was right, you didn’t need to chant anything but it took a lot more energy than other Primal Magic did. He did however note that when he touched the ice, it felt passionately warm. He made a fist and waved his hand aside. The ice wall collapsed and disappeared, as if it never existed. He looked at his own hands revelling in the breakthrough. He was a Mage, a one-of-a-kind Mage, who possessed the extremely rare Ice Primal.

* * *

Using her Moonshadow form, Rayla searched around the bottom of the Storm Spire for ages, until she was absolutely certain that Francis had to be at the top. As she approached the bottom of the stairs, something nagged at the back of her head… like someone was watching her. She looked around, but didn’t see anything suspicious. Besides she was invisible, she thought she was just a little nervous to have this reunion with Francis. She easily snuck past the couple of Katolis guards and began to quickly make her way up the stairs. Now, she had all this time to think what she would say and ask of him… and find a way to tell him why she was alone.

As she climbed up the Storm Spire that feeling at the back of her head never went away. She could swear that she felt someone’s presence with her. She sharply turned around to look behind her and still she was alone. She even descended a couple of steps to find absolutely no one around her. She shrugged her shoulders and persisted with her climb.

The cold wind was harshly blowing against her and her legs were burning slightly as she rose in altitude. She ignored the unpleasant feelings and soldiered on without hesitation. It was normal for the air to get colder when you got higher up. Wouldn’t the air get thin as well? She suddenly stopped, realising what she had overlooked. She had to keep going however, she had to try and reach the top. Maybe it would somehow work? Besides the longer she stood still, the colder she felt, as the wind was so strong now that it almost forced its way down her throat. She just had to hope that it would somehow work.

To her fortune it was working. She was nearing the end of the climb and her breathing was fine. Maybe the spell worked indefinitely as soon as one casted it? Nevertheless she was nearly at the top… and she wasn’t sure if she was fully ready to reunite with Francis. Of course, there was only one way to find out.

She finally made it to the platform before the bridge… and she stood still like a statue. A figure sat in the shadow overlooking the edge. It was too dark to see what exactly the figure was wearing and Rayla wasn’t taking any risks. She tip-toed her way towards the bridge, not looking to make her presence known… but the figure was already aware of her presence.

“You may tread silently and you may be invisible, but your aura speaks louder than words to me.” She froze in place. She could never not recognise that voice. “And besides, it was your burn I felt in my legs.” The figure stood up and turned around with outstretched hands, revealing a warm smile.

“Francis!” She exclaimed, dropping her Moonshadow form.

“Where are my manners? Good evening.” He said loudly, pointedly almost, as she ran to hug her friend. She paid no mind to his volume.

“It’s so good to see you!” She said.

“You do know that you could have just asked for me down at the bottom and you wouldn’t have had to sneak your way past, right?” Francis looked at her, whilst holding to both of her shoulders.

“That would be too easy.” She said.

“I guess it would be unbecoming of a Moonshadow elf and extremely uncharacteristic of our Rayla to not sneak their way into something under a full moon.” Francis conceded. “You certainly haven’t changed.”

“Neither have you.” Rayla replied, giving him a closer look. “Although, you seem to have grown an extra strand or two of grey hair.”

“Why is everyone who knows me so quick to point out a few extra grey hairs I’ve grown?” Francis lamented.

“I don’t know.” She said and looked mischievously at him. Her grin however dropped when she noticed how his eyes narrowed on her. “Is something wrong?”

“I’m glad to see you, but I’m also a little disappointed.” Francis dropped his arms to the side, as she looked lost at him. “How could you?”

“What?”

“Ezran told me everything about the Moon Nexus.” Francis said earnestly and Rayla’s entire demeanour sagged. Everything she wanted to say, disappeared from her brain in an instant.

“I had to.” She replied.

“Have you learned nothing from the month we spent carrying Zym back home?” Francis’s voice went a little angrier. “We are a team; we do things together.”

“I had to,” she repeated and quickly moved on. “And I’m here to ask for help.”

“What is it exactly?” Francis crossed his arms.

“I need you to help me find Viren.” She told him.

“I can’t help you with that.” He replied immediately.

She was extremely surprised by his answer. “But isn’t your council thing about protecting and bringing peace and coexistence to Xadia?”

“That it is.” Francis replied calmly. “Unfortunately we currently have bigger problems on our plates.”

“Viren is the biggest threat to all of Xadia!” Rayla objected. “As long as he lives he can destroy everything we’ve built and everyone we love!”

“Rayla, there is a Sun Forge that’s growing its borders daily and destroys anything that goes inside its zone!” Francis stated. “I’m pretty sure that takes priority over a single human being who has gone missing.”

“He is the one who caused that mess in the first place.” She argued.

“Highly doubt it was all his doing.” He disagreed. “He is not that powerful and he was seen with a creepy creature no one had ever seen before.”

“That doesn’t change the fact that he was still involved in all of this!” Rayla reiterated.

Francis regarded her as he thought, but then he shook his head. “I’m sorry Rayla, but I can’t help you.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know where Viren can be.” He told her. “My guess is as good as yours, which judging by the fact that you came here asking for help after nearly two years of searching, isn’t going to be much different or helpful.” She wanted to say something, but he didn’t let her speak. “I also cannot join your search, partly for the same reason I just mentioned, but also because I simply mustn’t abandon what I started here.”

She looked away. “So what, I wasted all this time travelling back here?” She pouted, as she crossed her arms.

“Not necessarily.” Francis said, making her look back at him. “You can of course go back out there and continue searching for a needle in a haystack or you could come with me and UXaC.” She looked at him inquisitively, but not particularly enthusiastic. “You could help us solve the problem with the Sun Forge and we will help you look for Viren on the side as we move along.” She didn’t reply immediately, as she reluctantly weighed up her option. “It’s the best I can do, Rayla.”

“I guess I don’t have a choice,” she sighed. “I guess I have to go with you and UXaC.”

“You don’t sound particularly happy about that.” Francis pointed out.

She rolled her eyes. “Of course I’m not! I want to stop the biggest threat to me and the whole world, not boggle myself in other people’s problems!”

Francis closed his eyes and gave out a heavy sigh. “You have been blinded by your wild chase of Viren quite significantly.” He lowered his head and she looked at him indignantly. “It’s worse than I thought.”

“How so?” She challenged him.

“You just completely ignored what I said about the Sun Forge and how we are one team.” Francis pointed out and then looked past her. “I also find it hard to believe that the whole time we conversed, you have not sensed his presence yet. I had Ibis to cast the spell, but how did you bypass the thin air?”

Rayla looked at Francis nonplussed.

“You still haven’t answered his question.” Her heart stilled when she heard his voice, coming from behind her. “How could you?”

She slowly turned around and saw Callum slowly phase in from his Moonshadow form. He was wearing his usual scarf and clothes, only his jacket was tied around his waist. “C-Callum,” she slowly walked towards him and stretched her hand out in disbelief, not only at his presence, but also at his display of Moon Magic.

“No! S-Stop!” His hand flinched in her direction.

“Callum?” Her voice broke, just like she felt broken by that response. She grabbed her left arm.

His face twitched between angry, pained, sad and disappointed. “I’m just not sure what to do,” His eyes were tearing up. Rayla’s mouth was open, as she remained perplexed. She began to rub her left wrist.

“You came all the way here and now you’re not sure what to do?” Francis asked.

“Yes,” Callum’s voice quivered. “I thought that it will be okay, but seeing you reminds me of you leaving me at the Moon Nexus,” he looked up at Rayla, tears trickling down his cheeks. “And it makes me more hurt.”

“Callum,” she took a pleading step towards him, but he backed away at the same time. “I had to.”

“That’s not an answer!” Callum shouted, finally giving into anger. “You promised that we’ll go together and you broke it… you lied to me! You abandoned me!”

Rayla’s body shook, as her heart ached. “I lost so many people I loved, I didn’t want to lose you too.” She saw Callum look away from her, bitterly shutting his eyes. She was now scratching her left wrist. “White lies are illusions you build with your words to protect the hearts of those you love; I wanted to protect you.”

“So you thought it would be best to push me away?” Callum went on, still enraged and his eyes burning her. “After all we’ve been through? Sol Regem, The Midnight Desert, The Storm Spire, The Moon Nexus… I thought you trusted me!”

“I cherish you!” Rayla felt like she was being torn into shreds, her eyes tearing up. “I thought about you every day.”

“And yet you were fine with being away from me for the past year and a half.” Callum stabbed her in the heart. “Did you even consider what you would put me through when you left?”

“Callum, that’s enough.” Francis warned him.

“You have no idea how the first few months went for me after you left!” Callum continued to vent off on Rayla, who was defeatedly hanging her head. “The pain you put me through!”

She could see the pool of tears slowly forming at her feet. “I-I didn’t want to risk your life and losing you to him,” she managed to utter with her quivering voice. “Just like I lost my parents!”

She didn’t hear a reply. When she looked up, she saw Callum’s eyes go wide as he backed away, holding his head. He turned away and without saying anything to anyone, he grew wings and flew away to the pinnacle. She used her Moonshadow form to disappear into a corner by the meeting hall’s doors, wishing for no one to see her so broken and for the whole world to forget about her existence. Francis was left standing sadly on his own, as his cape hugged him tightly.

* * *

Never in his worst nightmares, could he have imagined Team Zym’s reunion go so awfully. He looked between Callum and Rayla, who occasionally gave herself away with quiet sobs. He had to do something, say something. It utterly destroyed his heart to see this breakdown happen, leaving scars not only on them but on him too. Worst of all was that neither of them were right or wrong. This wasn’t easy or straightforward. Since Rayla would be more unresponsive, he knew he had to talk to Callum first.

“Francis!” He heard Ibis’s voice from across the bridge, halting his entire thought process. “We need to do our preparations for tomorrow!”

His hands formed an angry fist, as he cursed the awful timing of everything. They needed him to prepare and lead the mission and Callum and Rayla needed counselling and consoling. He wanted to help the pair and yet he had to set up UXaC for the mission that the world needed them to succeed at. He plaintively looked between Rayla, Callum and Ibis. He couldn’t delay; he had to choose! Finally, he hung his head and let out a defeated and unhappy sigh. “I’m coming.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I did say I was going to go bigger than last time. Please do bear with me as I try my utmost best to juggle and balance everything out. We now move out into uncharted territories, going properly beyond what the show has shown us in terms of environment. There is a lot that is happening in this chapter and I really do hope I made some things clear. If not, you can ask and I'll try to elaborate if it is something that was supposed to be clear from the start and I didn't do a good job at writing it.  
> Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter (and Marie as well)! Next week, we're meeting the Order of Druids (i.e. Earthblood elves with connection to plants and animals, which are described as druidic in Callum's sketchbook)!


	6. Bitter Truths and Sweet Lies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “The biggest problems that an Ice Mage, and anyone really, faces, is choosing what to believe in from the crushing amount of conflicting information that affects them and how they see the world around them. People often get stuck, not knowing where to go or what to do or who to be. Remember, that the ability to perceive and accept bitter truths that will always come in life can help you go forward and avoid and by-pass even the sweetest of lies.”

The clatter of hooves filled the passing world of Eastern Xadia for Ezran, as he overheard the pair of Sky Mages, Ibis and Callum, flapping their wings. The humans were riding on their horses and the Sunfire elves were riding on their inferno tooth tigers. All this noise did was make Ezran brood. He leaned forward and raised his hand to his chin, like he always saw Francis do.

He remembered seeing the gloom behind Callum’s and Rayla’s smiles that never reached their eyes, that never matched his own. Their happiness in seeing him – genuine; their pain – obvious and overpowering. After nearly a week they still didn’t look at each other and they maintained their distance, looking like empty shells. The scars that weren’t told to Ezran were too raw and he was genuinely afraid that they would never heal. Francis knew something about those scars, as he looked wounded each time he glanced at them, interrupting whatever he was doing or thinking. His head almost always leant towards them, but his body held itself in place. It always ended with a sigh and he would return his steely serious look forward.

That ice cold look and earnest demeanour that became normal throughout the past few days of travelling felt weird to Ezran. It was about as weird and awkward as his reunion with Rayla and Callum was. Without failure, Francis determinedly, almost obsessively, stared ahead, his straight forelock splitting the prevailing wind unwaveringly. He usually was surrounded by Ibis and Janai, as they intensely went over everything down to minute details. Ezran heard them constantly mention ‘UXaC’ and ‘Xadia’. Today’s conversation broke him out of his brooding and he carefully looked over to the trio of leaders: a queen, a representative and a hero.

“Francis, you can’t possibly expect us to be able to do something like this every day.” They told him.

“There are people who need us, who need our help and it is our duty to help them, regardless of who they are.” Francis responded, his cape remaining staunchly by his side against the breeze. “That’s why UXaC is an assembly of _each_ faction.”

“It is admirable what you are trying to do,” Ibis told him. “Which is why you are the one who is leading this, but it’s impossible to keep going like that forever.”

Francis smirked, despite the shadow prancing on his face. “Aren’t we lucky then, that I have been known all my life as the one to constantly beat the steepest of odds?”

Ezran always imagined the heroic Francis like this – he was always destined to lead a big cause like this one. He looked incredibly involved and passionate, yet also strangely incomplete at the same time… like he was holding back or maybe missing something? That look in his eyes and that shadow was just too tense for Ezran to ignore, it made him worried.

Ezran asked his horse to get in line with them. As soon as he did, Francis immediately noticed him. His entire expression became warm and he smiled at him. Without saying anything, Janai slowed down to fall behind them and Ibis flapped his wings and rose in altitude.

“Hi, Ez,” Francis’s eyes glimmered happily, as he looked at him. “How are you doing?”

“Are you alright?” Ezran moved straight to the point.

“Of course,” Francis coughed, then continued nonchalantly. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“What were you three talking about?” Ezran asked.

“Nothing too important.” Francis deflected.

Ezran frowned. “I heard a lot of UXaC again.”

Francis looked forward with that earnest expression of his. “Ezran, please, let’s talk about something normal. Let’s talk about life and growth or maybe finding a partner and starting a family?” He suggested.

Ezran sighed. “I’m just really worried about you.” He explained himself.

Francis nodded appreciatively, before moving on. “Have I introduced Marie to you yet?”

Before he could reply, Francis was already calling her over. Ever since the entire Duren contingent left and up until now, Ezran mostly saw her silently spend her time on her horse, maintaining her distance from others. She carefully, with lady-like coy, approached the both of them. “Your Majesty,” she bowed her head tactfully.

“You can call me Ezran.” He replied.

“I am an apprentice of Master Francis,” she continued, as if she knew that this was going to be an introduction.

“Firstly, I’m a friend of yours,” Francis corrected, huffing in light-hearted exasperation at her formality. “Secondly, what did I say about calling me Master? It makes me feel old, so there really is no need.”

“You do have grey hair, though.” Ezran jabbed, mischievously smirking at him.

“Not you too.” Francis sighed, amidst their small giggling. “So, Ezran, this is Marie. She is a very capable and reliable fighter.”

“You are flattering me.” She blushed.

“She was with Duren’s army during The Battle.” Francis added.

“Really?” Ezran turned to look at her. “How come we never saw you?”

She quickly looked away. “I was… busy helping others.” She replied a little cryptically.

“Aside from being a great fighter, Marie is also well versed in the medical sciences.” Francis continued to heap praises. “So any injuries or illnesses, she’d be a great person to talk to.”

“That is so cool!” Ezran told her. She remained as pink in the cheeks as she had been before, with a flustered bowed head, closed eyes and a small smile on her face.

Francis continued. “Of course, Marie, you’ve heard of King Ezran before.” She nodded and Francis went ahead passionately. “Well, did you know that he can communicate with animals?”

“Oh,” it was Ezran’s turn to blush, as Francis turned the praise in his direction now. “It’s nothing too big…”

“Are you kidding me?” Marie exclaimed. “That is so special and interesting!”

“Right?” Francis complimented his praises with wide and passionate hand gestures. “He can understand any animal around us! He also rode a dragon and lead an entire pack of them for The Battle!”

“It’s really not that big of a deal.” Ezran acted incredibly modest, scratching the back of his head.

“At eight years old?” Marie looked at him wide-eyed.

“Show me anyone who done anything like that at the age of eight?” Francis challenged glancing extremely proudly at Ezran, before he playfully ruffled his hair. “Not to mention being a king and all of the adventures you have been through, leading up to that moment.”

Ezran looked away, coincidentally in Marie’s direction. Before he could hide his blushes, he noticed a very warm look in her smile and crinkling eyes, as her head almost tilted to the side, such was the softness in her body movements. Those eyes, there was something more in them… and they weren’t looking at him. They were looking at Francis. Ezran decided to quickly make his exit unnoticed to hide his fluster. It seemed like they were too engaged in a conversation of their own now to notice his disappearance even after a long time.

As he fell further behind them, he began to hear the slow sad flapping of Callum’s wings, hovering above them. He may have been stoic, but his entire mood reminded Ezran of the several months in the castle before he left. Even with the new Moon Primal he now possessed and his focus on learning more magic with Ibis, he looked angrier, sadder and more lost than ever. Rayla was no different either. Something was wrong and as much as he wanted to go over to either of them and help there was something that stopped him.

Each time he felt the urge, the crown on Ezran’s head suddenly became heavier, as the watchful eyes of the nobles sunk into the back of his skull. Although Francis never let them anywhere near them (and they were too scared to approach anyway), they were still here travelling with UXaC, carefully assessing and scrutinising. He wondered what would have happened if Queen Zubeia also came with them. Would they have been travelling miles behind them, using trees as cover? Nevertheless, she stayed at her residence, spending time with Zym and teaching him whatever dragon princes needed to be taught.

Meanwhile, Ezran spent time thinking about what he should do as king. When he accepted Francis’s call, he thought he would escape the castle and the constant pressures of being a king, just like with the Moon Nexus, but the crown followed him no matter where he went… and so did the nobles’ eyes. He could feel their frown and annoyed sighs whenever he did pretty much anything, but they turned significantly heavier whenever he was getting closer to any elves, like he was approaching Janai now. While all the other faction leaders left, she also remained with UXaC and the Grand Army. Ezran naively hoped that perhaps she too was trying to escape from being a queen, but when he actually thought about it, getting away from the reminder that was Lux Aurea’s forge was a way more plausible explanation.

 _Leadership isn’t unique to one specific person, so there’s bound to be overlap with someone._ He kept repeating Francis’s words, as if it was an excuse for him to interact with her. She was discussing something with the other three Grand Army commanders, Ignatius, Sabah and Marcos. They immediately noticed Ezran’s presence.

“Your Highness,” Janai bowed her head. “I trust you are doing well.”

“Your Radiance,” Ezran bowed in return, placing his hands in front of him like he saw many others do when addressing her. “I am very well. I’ve had the pleasure of trying out The Sun’s Zenith.”

“Were your human taste buds able to take the heat?” She asked.

“Of course,” Ezran visibly sparked, remembering the pleasant taste and the fun that followed. “It’s probably the best fruit I ever had.”

“As it should be when it comes to anything to do with us.” She held her back straight and puffed out her chest.

“What even is that?” Soren butted in. Now he was by far the last person that needed to be introduced to that fruit, because something was bound to burn down as a result.

“There is a reason why Francis has left you in the dark about it.” Marcos smiled at him mockingly. In fairness, there was no telling what would happen if Soren discovered the fun part of the fruit. Ezran wouldn’t put it past Soren telling about and re-enacting that one time a dragon he fired a bolt at burned a town down.

“I always wondered,” Ezran continued talking to Janai. “You are Queen of Lux Aurea?” Janai nodded in agreement. “Why is your title then Golden Knight Janai and not Queen Janai?”

“Uh, it just sounds weird.” She shook her head dismissively, though Ezran could feel something tugging at her heart strings – a far sadder reason for her choice of title.

“Yeah, Janai here is too proud of her status as a Golden Knight and would rather remind everyone that she can beat everyone here in a fight, rather than be known as the Queen of our kind.” Ignatius jabbed. Janai looked at him with her lips pressed together.

“You aren’t beating Francis.” Ezran told her seriously. Her pressed lips were facing him now.

“You aren’t beating me!” Soren also said very seriously, but she didn’t deign him with a look.

“I would just rather have the former title. It kind of sticks like a nickname now.” She elaborated.

Soren suddenly began clicking his fingers, grabbing Ezran’s attention. “Oh, maybe we should also give you a different nickname title… say, Animal Whisperer Ezran.”

“I don’t really think that’s a title.” Ezran disagreed.

Soren crossed his arms. “Fine, shoot down my idea if you so wish, without giving it as much of a thought.”

“It was a terrible idea, Soren.” Marcos told him bluntly.

“Not you too, Marcos.” Soren’s shoulders drooped.

Ezran ignored his Crown Guard’s damaged self-esteem and decided to proceed with why he started this conversation in the first place. “So why did you decide to come with the Grand Army?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Janai looked at him. “My people are suffering because the Light of the Forge is tainted and it corrupts and destroys everything it touches. If I don’t do anything about it, then the consequences are going to be quite severe. My people need me to succeed at finding a solution to this dangerous problem.”

“She is fighting for her people.” Sabah added, giving Ezran a little uneasy feeling inside him.

“Isn’t that what every king or queen does?” Marcos asked. That added ever more of a weighty feeling in Ezran’s stomach.

“My dad didn’t,” Soren sighed, making the air around them just about as heavy as the feeling in Ezran’s stomach was. “I don’t know who he fought for, but it certainly wasn’t for his people.”

Ezran looked at the ground beneath him. He didn’t feel any more encouraged or reassured about why he was here and what should he be doing as a young king. It felt as though everyone kept telling him indirectly that the nobles were absolutely right. He considered talking to Aunt Amaya, but he knew she was fiercely independent and hated politics even more fiercely. “ _Dirty liars, without a backbone or honour,_ ” she referred to them with a very disdainful and deplorable look on her face. She wasn’t the right person to discuss this with… or any political topic, really. In the end, even if it felt that the responses he was hearing were overwhelmingly not to his liking, he still didn’t feel right about it. For his own sake, he hoped that maybe there was something else that he could do.

* * *

Ibis made for an interesting mentor, Callum thought. His gentle presence was intriguingly magnified in the small secluded field they were practicing at, surrounded by trees. His extremely even and mostly calming voice easily made him concentrate into his practices of Sky Magic. It just clicked for Callum, as he was able to fully concentrate on that inner spark he possessed. That spark was intangible yet very real, as the free wind bounced around within him.

However, now that spark wasn’t exactly the same as it used to be. It was coalescent with another spark driving inside him – The Moon Arcanum. The recent addition to his roster of magic, fitted inside him like a piece of a puzzle did. What exactly was it supposed to make up, Callum wasn’t sure, but what he couldn’t deny was the gaping hole around his chest where his heart was. A huge chunk of the puzzle seemed to have been missing from there for a very long time and to this day he couldn’t find a way to fill it.

His concentration was diverted when he felt a pair of eyes, peering at him from the shadows. He instantly knew who those eyes belonged to, since the spark inside him felt hers. That made his mind howl in anger and grief and like the gaping hole in his chest, it was impossible to ignore. No matter how much Ibis spoke now, it didn’t do anything for him. Callum just couldn’t think straight. So when the time came to produce a spell, the wind barely held any force whatsoever.

“It feels… off.” Ibis pointed out, rather needlessly.

“Of course it does,” Callum blurted curtly. He was back to this stage again.

“It seems that the powers have regressed,” Ibis continued to voice his observations.

“Maybe I’m not cut out for this,” Callum huffed, crossing his arms.

“You seem to be giving up easily.” Ibis pointed out, again with a very even tone.

“Not the first time that would be.” Callum grumbled.

“I was going to say that is very unlike you.” Ibis disagreed.

“Huh?” Callum looked at him like he grew a second head.

“Weren’t you the one who told me that learning magic was your destiny?” Ibis asked.

Callum stumbled, looking away from him. “This isn’t the first time this is happening.”

“Oh?” Ibis tapped his staff against the ground, as he was thinking. “This is most concerning for a mage, since he is supposed to be able to do magic, regardless of his inner state.”

“Yes, I know.” Callum responded, rather annoyed.

“Anything inside us that is irrelevant to the task at hand needs to be ignored and forgotten about.” Ibis continued.

“I know.” Callum repeated.

“Perhaps you should follow your brother’s example and look to Francis.” Ibis suggested.

Callum couldn’t deny the fact that those two had become an inseparable pair whenever they were around each other, even back during their adventure. They were always broadly smiling and laughing, whenever he saw them and he was happy for the both of them. How couldn’t you when you saw Ezran’s admiring eyes look up at Francis, while he proudly gazed back at him?

“Why Francis?” Callum asked.

“Because Francis is an extraordinary leader.” Ibis said… he might as well have said that the sky was blue. “What makes him so extraordinary is that he is ascetic and always puts the needs of others above his own. Regardless of how he feels, he will always be effervescent. You have seen his indomitability and unwavering tenacity first-hand at The Battle, did you not?” Callum nodded in response. “Were you aware of his injuries? Of the difficulty of taking on eleven people at once?”

“Very much.”

“And how did that make you feel?”

“Concerned and very scared for his life.” Callum replied.

“And the troops kept fighting and were inspired by his selfless heroism.” That was hard not to agree with. All you had to do was look at how everyone hailed him as one of the Heroes of The Battle and how everyone across Xadia knew of his deeds.

“I can’t ignore this.” Callum drooped his head, still feeling her eyes looking at him as she quietly prowled around the trees.

“Then I can’t help you train.” Ibis told him calmly. When Callum’s response was silence, he turned around and calmly walked away.

* * *

Callum slumped up against a tree, drawing his knees closer to his chest. Why was this so complicated? Why was he such a failure of a mage? What was happening to him?

“Prince Callum?” He heard a polite female voice address him. He looked up at a friendly demeanour of a young woman, with golden-brown hair that glittered in the sunlight. She was wearing a burgundy top and one side of her collar unintentionally folded to the side, revealing her well-defined collar bone, while the other stood straight.

“You’re… Marie? The fourth New Dragonguard?” Callum recalled.

“I’m not the New Dragonguard yet, I’m simply Francis’s apprentice.” She nodded. “I wanted to bring you some water to help you stay hydrated. You should be drinking more of it during exercises and especially during summer.”

Come to think of it, Callum was rather dehydrated. “Thank you.” He took the flask she kindly offered.

“May I?” She gestured to the spot next to him, as he drank.

Callum stared at her. “Um, yes of course, but why would you?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” It was her turn to stare at him, as she sat down. “I’ve heard so many stories about you!”

“Stories about me?” Callum genuinely didn’t know what she meant, but it didn’t seem to deter her excitement as she leant forward.

“Yes! Your adventure became well known to everyone in Duren, ever since Queen Aanya returned and relayed some of the details.” She looked at him with raised eyebrows and wide eyes. “You made a huge decision to leave home and do something so big. It was probably very tough to do.”

“Yeah,” Callum reminisced, as he tried his best to ignore the slowly approaching eyes. “I didn’t make that decision alone.”

“You put your differences aside and banded together.” She pointed out.

“Yes.” Callum replied. “We barely knew each other.” Oh how the times have changed. Now, he knew Rayla so well, that he could feel her jumping from tree to tree, moving ever closer towards them.

“And yet you still looked beyond yourselves.” Marie eagerly continued. “Even if Rayla was an elf to you and you were a human to her, you still worked together to achieve something so great.”

“I guess,” Callum agreed. “Although at the beginning it was mostly just us stopping a war, but then after a while of her proving everything I knew about the elves wrong, I knew I could trust her.”

“I admire the fact that you stuck together through everything.” She looked at him, with her eyes practically glowing.

“Yes,” Callum sighed loudly, hiding the slight irony of those words. “Together and through everything.”

“And that’s why you are here with UXaC – to help others and set an example for future generations to come?” She deduced.

“Yes,” Callum replied, although he wasn’t exactly sure what she meant by that. “Also probably because I’m the first human Primal Mage.”

She tilted her head. “Is it true that you did Dark Magic?”

Callum sighed again, even flinched at the memory. “Unfortunately, yes.”

She suddenly leaned closer. “Why? What pushed you so far as to do something like that?”

“I wanted to protect my friends.” He responded calmly. “I think if I was back there facing the same situation again, I would choose to do the same. No matter how horrible it felt and was to do, I did discover the Sky Arcanum after all.”

“After darkness, we always come back stronger.” She said, nodding respectfully.

There was a pause in their conversation, as she didn’t continue speaking. He could feel that Rayla was right above them. “Do people really retell our adventures?” Callum asked.

“Of course!” Marie nodded quickly. “They really like it!”

“Why would anyone be interested in a failure of a human prince?” Callum sneered.

Marie looked at him, stunned. Somehow Callum could tell that Rayla’s eyes were also having the same expression. “Well, you’re a mage.” Marie went on. “The first human Primal Mage!”

“What does it even mean? What does it mean to be a mage?” Callum asked her, irritation igniting inside him again. “I don’t know what to do anymore.”

“I’m no mage.” Marie pointed out calmly. “But I do know that you can find a way.”

“You don’t even know me.” Callum looked away. “How can you even suggest that?”

“Because Francis told me about you.” She replied. “He always tells those stories with such passion and detail that it feels like I was there. He believes and has faith in you and he told me that you don’t give up so easily.”

“Well, maybe he’s wrong.” Callum replied tersely.

That made her jolt backwards, so jarring was the change in tone. “If there’s anything that Francis isn’t, is being wrong about people like you. He doesn’t misplace his faith in unreliable and shallow people.”

“Then if he isn’t wrong, how can I overcome a problem that’s not only impossible to bypass, but also can’t be left behind easily at all?” Callum challenged, feeling anger spark inside him. “How would he overcome that?”

“I do not know what you mean,” Marie lowered her head and spoke earnestly. “But if I may offer you some advice, then I would suggest tackling the problem head on.” Callum grimaced, as he didn’t particularly like that idea, but he couldn’t deny some sense in her words. Yet he was still not in a mood to tackle anything head on today… especially if it involved talking. “As for what Francis would say, he would probably suggest to integrate the problem and make it a strength of yours – make it play to your advantage whilst minimising its hinderance.” Callum didn’t look at her. He wasn’t sure what that meant exactly, yet it sounded like something Francis definitely would say. “He is resourceful and versatile after all.” She concluded, before getting up to her feet. “I shall leave you alone, Prince Callum.” She said evenly, bowing her head and gracefully turning and walking away.

“Callum is fine.” He replied, making her stop. She turned around with a small smile on her face and nodded. Callum used his opportunity. “I don’t see you talking a lot to many people. You’re always on your own, watching carefully from the side.” She furrowed her brow. “How come you know so much about Francis?”

Callum watched her quickly turn away, but not before he saw her start to blush, as her eyes went wide. “I knew him ever since we were children.” She replied very quickly. “It has been a pleasure to meet you in person, Callum.” She quickly walked away.

Callum wished he was alone right now. He felt exhausted and overwhelmed. However, Rayla’s eyes were still above him, but not for long. She descended from the trees and landed right in front of him, making him immediately cross his arms.

“Callum, I just want to talk.” She said.

“Well, I don’t.” Callum replied curtly, as he looked away.

“Please,” he heard Rayla plead. “Don’t make it more difficult than it already is.”

“More difficult?!” He raised his voice and jumped to his feet. “This is nothing compared to what you put me through!”

“I protected you!” Rayla shouted back at him. “You should be grateful that I sacrificed me wanting to be with you by going out to stop Viren from hurting anyone I love!”

“Oh, yeah, thanks so much for putting me through so much pain.” Callum replied sarcastically, almost in her face. “Because you sure helped me out a lot with it!”

“You just fail to see the truth!” Rayla retorted.

“You want to know the truth of what your actions did to me?” Callum stared at her with anger boiling over into his grimacing face. “My magic is weaker because of what you did! It’s weaker because of you!”

“Are you blaming me for your lack of ability?” Rayla shrugged. “I have nothing to do with your magic.”

“Nothing?!” Callum stared at her indignantly, as he felt a sharp dagger pierce him right into his gaping hole around his heart. His voice turned grave. “So, all of your so-called sacrifice, what has it turned into? Did you find him?” Rayla went eerily silent. “Say it.” She didn’t. “Say it!”

“No! No, I haven’t!” She shouted back.

“Great!” Callum laughed without any sincerity, as he took a step backwards. Much to his anger and disappointment, she didn’t notice anything wrong. He didn’t have to hold the spell for too long, so it would work fine. “You are a Moonshadow assassin and yet you failed to find and kill the one person you wanted to. By the way, that’s the fourth time that you fail to kill someone.” The illusion in front of him turned into smokes, as her slap that was aimed to have gone across his face, went right through the illusion’s head. Callum found himself staring at a shocked Rayla, who shrugged at the fact that she was tricked. His suspicions were proven to be correct… and why wouldn’t they? She wasn’t a Moon Mage, she wouldn’t be able to dispel the illusion. “You have become so obsessed with your mission of finding Viren that you forgot once again that I know the Moon Arcanum!” Callum shouted, his voice was becoming to quiver. “You didn’t feel my presence back at the Storm Spire, despite knowing that those that have a connection could feel each other. And now you have forgotten about the fact that I’m a Moon Mage, not just because you are so surprised after failing to see through that illusion spell I did, but also thinking you can sneak up on me. Honestly, you don’t ever care about me!”

“Cease!” The bone chilling voice of Francis chained their bodies. It was quiet enough to be intimidating, yet eerily resounding to be echoed and reverberated from the trees, overpowering their shouting. “I will not have two of my best friends sully themselves in front of others like that!”

When him and Rayla looked panicky to the side where the voice came from, they found that Francis wasn’t on his own. Marie was also there, standing a little to the side looking a little indecisive.

Francis walked over to them, getting bigger with each step, as his cape fortified his broad shoulders and protruding presence. He pointed his finger at them. “You are both forbidden from raising your voices like that on anyone, let alone on each other, ever again!” Callum opened his mouth to argue and that wasn’t the smartest idea, as Francis shut him down immediately. “Don’t you dare! If you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay silent, because if you don’t, then I’ll make sure that I’ll put you through something far worse than whatever you’ve claimed you have been. Do not test me!” His eyes alone scared Callum into paralysis as he was lost for words. He pointed between Callum and Rayla. “You both better start thinking very carefully what you say next time, before you say something stupid and later regret it.” He gave them a long icy cold look, to drill the point of his intolerance over their behaviour. It seemed however that he hadn’t lost his touch when it came to applying high standards to everyone. “Marie,” his voice was a little calmer, yet still earnest and grave. It made her jump when he spoke to her. “You were already here when I came over. Why haven’t you intervened?”

“I-I’m sorry,” she said, apologetically lowering her head. “I panicked and didn’t know what to say. I was never the one for being in the spotlight and leading the lines, being at the forefront of the charge.”

Francis sighed. “You have to be better than that, if you want to become the New Dragonguard. I expect better, Marie.”

“I will be.” She said, as Callum watched her back become straighter.

Francis looked back at Rayla. “You’re coming with me,” he said. “It’s just the time for training.” Rayla was wiser than to say anything back. “And you,” he pointed at Callum. “Think. Very carefully.”

With that, he and the girls left, as Callum slumped against the tree again. Holding his head in his hands, he began his reflections.

* * *

While Francis got momentarily pulled away by Ibis, for another UXaC meeting, Rayla was left alone with Marie, as they both warmed up for their sparring session. It was actually the best thing for her to do after a heated argument she had with Callum, that made her feel incredibly angry and also numbingly empty. Still, somehow a dagger had been stabbed at her chest where that emptiness now resided and she still felt it. Either way, her mood was a little down and right now she wanted to put her swords to good use.

“So you’re that new human girl?” She asked, feeling a little awkward from the silence.

“Yes, I’m Marie.” She politely and elegantly bowed her head. “I’m very glad to meet you, Rayla. I’ve heard a lot of things about you and your kind.”

“Ugh, probably all lies you were spoon fed as a kid.” Rayla dismissed her. Maybe she shouldn’t have started the conversation in the first place, she thought.

Marie shook her head, unfazed by her comment. “No, actually Francis told me a lot about your kind. You are quite extraordinary I must say.”

Rayla puffed her chest, feeling a little better about herself. “Aren’t we?” She looked smugly at her. Though that smugness didn’t last particularly long. _That’s the fourth time that you fail to kill someone._ No Moonshadow elf, assassin or not, would fail this much at such imperative tasks. Did she even have a right to call herself a Moonshadow elf?

Marie gave a short, but genuine laugh. “It must have been great to defend your team.”

“Yeah,” Rayla said, with a hint of nostalgia dawning on her face. “I defended a dragon, not giving up even a millimetre and didn’t lose to Soren, so technically I’m unbeaten against a human.”

“I wish your luck to continue with that.” Marie said politely. “Although I believe Francis and General Amaya bested you in a fight.”

“We don’t count that. Otherwise, I was constantly on the lookout and kept a vigilant eye on things.” Rayla continued to brag, purging the concerning thoughts away and making herself feel better. “Me and Francis always watched our team’s backs, making sure that we wouldn’t move even an inch when trouble came.”

“You faced plenty, I’ve heard.” Marie said.

“Yes and we always had to stay focused and not let anything get in our way.” Rayla continued. “Even if Francis constantly told us to share our issues with others, only for him not to tell us about that horrible bruise he had.”

“Again, I didn’t think much of it at the time and I’m sorry, I should be better.” Right on cue, Francis emerged and walked towards them. His tone was still fairly serious, but he certainly wasn’t alight with disappointment and anger.

“Ready to go down?” Rayla managed to say it with genuine excitement for the challenge ahead.

Francis did not look fazed. “Considering my fighting form, I have been practicing. Since you were last here, Marie has now replaced you as my student.” He jabbed light-heartedly, although he still wasn’t fully at ease yet.

“Come to think of it, Francis, you still haven’t fought me in my Moonshadow form!” Rayla exclaimed and Francis visibly recoiled at that, putting a hand on his side.

“Yeah, sure, whenever we’ll get a good opportunity.” He said a little weirdly, making Rayla’s head tilt at him. Was he hiding something? He quickly moved on. “Have you been practicing?”

“Occasionally.” Rayla said, readying her swords. She was eager to fight Francis again and maybe beat him this time.

“Good, I would like to see that from the side.” He said.

“What?” Rayla’s hands dropped. “I wanted to fight you again.”

“You will, but first you have to fight Marie. Beat her and then you can come and talk to me.” Francis challenged her.

Rayla looked at Marie who stood opposite her and rolled up her left sleeve, revealing an unremarkable black pad. She wasn’t particularly impressive in terms of physique, in fact she looked a little small. She didn’t strike Rayla as a particularly strong or quick fighter. All Marie had was a sword in her right hand. Rayla thought this would be easy. “All right, then.” She said as she got her swords ready.

“Then let’s dance.” Francis signalled for the start of the sparring session, as he took his place way to the side.

She eyed her opponent as she stood there, not moving an inch. Rayla didn’t keep her waiting. She rushed her head on and swung both swords at her unprotected left side. Her swords met an obstacle with a loud clang. When Rayla fully paid attention, she realised that out of the pad on her forearm sprung a metal shield. It was black around the edges, supposedly those formed part of the pad. The main frame was blue and in the middle was a beautiful silver white rose with golden shadows.

Caught completely off guard, Rayla was immediately shoved back by the shield. She was a little off balance, but was left dumbstruck when her opponent didn’t follow up. Marie remained rooted to the spot with her shield up and her sword pointed at her, warning off any head on attacks. Rayla could see her blue eyes carefully considering her movements, as her defensive stance looked impenetrable.

 _There is no way she can keep up with my speed._ Rayla thought. She darted right at her and flipped over her. As she swung, her blades met her sword… just in time it seemed. Rayla was too stunned by her speed and once again she was shoved backwards by her shield, only this time Rayla’s face bore some of the impact.

Rayla rubbed her offended spot and went back in at Marie. She was determined to make her move more than a millimetre off her defensive stance. She could see Marie’s face strain as she landed blows from side to side, but still, like a juggling act, Marie blocked it with her sword and shield. Marie wouldn’t budge; she still hadn’t moved!

Rayla felt anger surge back into her as she started to strike more fiercely and began to use her feet to try to kick at her shield. Anything to move her off her spot, budge her from her stance, as she kept a vigilant eye on her. All Rayla could do, was make her groan, but not move. She was laying into her mercilessly and tirelessly and yet she still held on. Rayla was trying absolutely everything. Was that it there – a possible breakthrough? A split second where she wasn’t so quick and her stance was too straight and her leg stuck out as a result? No Moonshadow elf did anything like that, because it was considered dishonourable… but she didn’t care; she wanted to make her budge. She kicked at her calf. It caved in, but not fully as she let out a short cry. Instead of backing off, like Rayla wanted her to, she went forward, catching her off-guard.

Rayla met the full force of the shield, as she was smacked backwards falling on her back. She rolled with the momentum and was immediately kneeling in position, looking at her opponent who yet again did not persist. She just couldn’t do it; she was about to lose to a human... a human who held on and did everything like she used to do for Team Zym back then. Marie remained immovable just like Rayla was when she defended Pyrrha. She remained focused just like Rayla was during her adventures. Two years went by and it was her that was by Francis’s side and not Rayla.

She leapt back at Marie, letting out a cry and swinging wildly at her. Strike after strike, Marie blocked it now without a strained face. It was just Marie and only Marie in front of her. No trees, no field, nothing mattered around her. She had to land something, anything. She ignored her panting that grew ever heavier with her besetting attacks, as she kept at it... and she would have kept at it, if not for a hand. Her hand held back but not because she stopped. Francis was holding her by her wrist. In her desperate, berserk attempt she didn’t notice how Francis had calmly approached her.

“I think you should get some rest, Rayla.” He said with an earnest tone in his voice. This was not up for a debate.

Rayla’s shoulders sagged, her anger disappearing immediately… or rather redirecting at herself. “I guess I’m really out of touch and need more practicing.”

Francis sighed. “That is only a minor issue.” Rayla looked up at him. “You’ve lost your inner focus and balance. That isn’t going to be solved by training.” Rayla glanced away from their gaze, feeling more empty by the second.

“Please, don’t let this get you down.” Marie said, putting a hand on her shoulder. “It was a challenge for me to face you. I have never faced an assassin before.”

 _Assassin?_ Rayla thought, feeling hesitant about the word again. She looked at her assassin outfit and swords, that she quickly put away. It was no surprise why anyone would make that guess, even if they haven’t heard about their adventure. Besides she was a Moonshadow elf… and even that felt off now. She just did things no normal Moonshadow elf would. _I’m not an assassin. I’m a Dragonguard, the Last Dragonguard, the New Dragonguard,_ she thought persuasively, but didn’t feel reassured or any sort of change inside her. Even if she trained all her life to be an elite warrior, something felt off. _What does that mean – to be the New Dragonguard? What am I supposed to do with that?_ She looked at Francis who had that narrow look on his face, that just told her that somehow he knew or could read her mind. She would sometimes call it his ‘thinking face’ as he most likely just figured it out. “You fought well.” She humbly told Marie.

“Likewise.”

“I could do better... I should do better.” Rayla said downcast, as she looked at her shield. “The way you used that was so good, I never saw something like that before.”

“Oh, it’s Duren engineering at its best!” She pressed the scratched up button on her strap around her forearm to quickly retract the shield back into a pad on her arm. It was quick and seamless, as it became just an inconspicuous unremarkable padding, that earlier caught her out.

Rayla’s eyes quickly darted to inspect the whole strap and noticed how it ran down to her wrist. On there she noticed another button on the bottom of her palm, but unlike the first one, this was clean, shiny and unscratched. “What does this one do?” She asked, pointing to it.

“Oh, my father told me it rotates the shield,” Marie told her, with an uncertain tone in her voice. “But I never tried it, so I don’t know exactly what it does. Not only I didn’t ever have a need to, but I also can’t imagine why would someone want to rotate the shield.”

“Rayla,” Francis spoke to her gently. “You were good to start off with, but something inside you is obstructing your mind and actions. Your focus and balance is completely off and I suggest you rest and think on it.” He said sincerely.

She sighed and walked away. She could feel Marie’s concerned eyes and Francis’s saddened eyes follow her. She wondered if Francis was looking right at the hole around her heart, if he knew but couldn’t do anything about it. What was the missing puzzle piece that filled in that hole? Also were there a third pair of eyes she could feel watching her closely?  
  
“Right, I see you taking a few notes from my fighting principles; I saw you bait Rayla into attacking you first.” Francis tried to lighten the atmosphere, despite not feeling entirely comfortable. “Even if she lost it a little at the end, you showed both yourself and her at your best. You stayed your ground and didn’t let her use the forest to her advantage, which was good, but you still need to be lower to the ground.” He finished providing feedback to Marie, putting behind the great pain that was seeing Rayla like that. It hurt him deeply to see her be so astray and lost, not to mention the way she lashed out on Callum and Marie. He felt like he grew more grey hair from that. His heart wailed in anguish from the position he was in. He could do nothing about it. Unlike two years ago, this adventure wasn’t just with them this time. He couldn’t just forget about everyone else... and yet his heart still bled. He couldn’t just leave this alone. He didn’t want to, even if it wasn’t his to deal with. He really wished Ezran told him sooner, because he didn’t know how devastating her actions ended up being to both herself and Callum... even for him and poor Ezran. He wished he knew earlier... and he felt a shadow sprawl across his face.

“Will she be alright?” Marie asked. In any other circumstances Francis would smile at a kind hearted nature she displayed through her worried face. Having someone who cared so deeply about others, even if she didn’t know Rayla or Callum very well, made him feel... not alone.

He put his hands reassuringly on her shoulders. “Rayla is strong and smart. She’ll make it through just like she did before; it’s just another challenge life threw at her. In any case, we will help her.”

Marie’s eyes evaded his. “I’m sorry for freezing up in the moment... when they argued.”

“As long as you are better next time.” He told her.

“It’s just not for me.” She said a little hesitantly. “I can’t find it in myself to suddenly be at the forefront of everything. It’s so scary and uncomfortable. I feel so pressured that I will choke.”

“You always were the silent helper,” he gave her a reassuring smile. “But make no mistake, you are one of the most reliable people the world can have. You look small, but you’re no pushover. You are shy, but you barely shy away from shielding others in need. You are quiet, but you stand your ground loudly. You can do it; you have what it takes to inspire others and make them follow you. I don’t know why, but you only rather do it quietly without anyone paying much attention or praising you – an unsung hero.”

She gave him a small sincerely sweet smile that almost made his head spin. For Francis the feeling that smile accompanied with her lightly blushing cheeks gave, was what being drunk must have felt like. Why have alcohol, when sincerely complimenting others could give you such elated emotions that were the purest form of happiness, merriness, lightness and giddiness? Not only you were pleased, but you touched the other person’s heart and soul as well. It was like their aura sang and shone brightly.

“I guess that’s how I was born and it’s how I am.” She finally replied.

“I don’t think so.” He responded resolutely. “You can be even more and inspire your fellow companions with admirable grit and determination. I can show you how and all you need to do is to try.” _I want to show you how._ He added in his mind.

She looked up at him and for the first time she held his gaze, as he noticed that his hands were still on her shoulders all this time. They were almost frozen in that moment and he felt a warm light shining brightly from her entire being.

And then her face frowned and her eyes narrowed on his. They were searching and scrutinising. He knew that people who were quiet, tended to be great observers as they perceived the smallest changes in anything. After all, he knew and was accustomed to that part of himself very well to notice those behaviours in others. Perhaps she could see the big split within him.

“Francis, are you alright?” She asked.

“You and Ezran both asked me that question.” He pointed out. “In both cases my answer is the same: I’m fine, thank you. Although it does make me wonder why you would ask that.”

“You help your friends and others so much and you worry about everyone’s safety and well-being, taking responsibility for the toughest and riskiest things. You must be so tired.” She said. He didn’t reply. “I never saw you being weary nor had I ever heard you say the word ‘tired’. In fact, you are always awake when I am, I never saw you sleep once.”

“Believe me, I’m fine.” He said, with a grateful smirk on his face. “I do get some sleep and I do give myself rest.”

“But do you give yourself a _good_ rest and sleep?” She asked.

“Am I getting a medical examination?” He grinned.

“Could I?” She asked seriously and suddenly. His grin dropped after that question. He saw her getting a little redder, as she swallowed and cleared her throat. “Could I watch how you sleep and rest?” She asked again.

His heart was absolutely content with that, yet he held himself back from accepting her offer immediately. How would he explain that through using the Ice Primal, he was fine with getting fifteen to thirty minutes of sleep? It was how he was able to do more things around UXaC, as he planned, directed and organised things several days in advance. He would have to tell someone about his newfound power. However the Ice Magic was still not fully settled within him, as he couldn’t get the spells done consistently. It was why he decided to not tell anyone about the Primal yet. He even kept the diary book out of everyone’s sight. Not to mention what would those who harboured ill-intentions could do if his discovery went public. The person who wrote that diary hid the fact that he was an Ice Mage from everyone… what was he afraid of?

In any case his mind returned to the much simpler dilemma he had before him. He concluded that he didn’t have to tell her about the Primal nor did he have to use it to get sleep. He didn’t want to over rely on it. Besides, getting to spend time with Marie and do something other than spar sounded so enticing. It was perfect, since Ezran went to sleep early and rationing food for the next day was a very lonely job. “Marie, how about...” he began, but immediately cut himself off, as he felt that laser-focused and booming aura briskly approaching him.

“Francis!”

He finally let go of Marie’s shoulders. “Commander Archibald.” He held back a groan from the fact that he was interrupted.

“Oh, I’m sorry if I’ve interrupted your sparring,” Archibald nervously twiddled his fingers. “But that Skywing elf guy told me that this was urgent.”

“You’re fine and his name is Ibis.” He told him.

“He asked to have a meeting with you and Janai tonight.” Archibald informed him.

This time Francis held back a sigh. Of course, they were coming up to the Drakewood’s Hall, the Order of Druid’s main tribal settlement. They would probably be there by tomorrow midday. “Of course, tell them I’ll be ready then.”

Archibald nodded and went away. Francis turned to look back at the shyly quiet Marie who clearly hesitated to step in and say anything. Through the reflection of her irises he could see his wistful expression. In her he saw a potential, in her he saw a future… a future he couldn’t have, a future he was not worthy of, a future he would never deserve. That was the most bitter truth of all.  
“You’re busy again.” She said, sounding slightly shrunken. “Or as usual, at this point.” He silently nodded, as they locked eyes again, hers more inspecting and narrower. That split within him was growing.  
  


* * *

Doubt was a dangerous seed that bore disastrous results. Two years had passed for Claudia as she and her father skulked from forest to forest, a time spent in constant hiding. At least now they were somewhere that resembled a building, although the stony walls and the decrepit state still reminded her of damp caves, especially when she descended into the dungeons. Apparently this decrepit place was like this for the past three hundred years. How did her father know this place so well… like he was here before?

She used to strut past the cells in this dungeon, but now, with one or two groaning Earthblood elves, she walked past and occasionally glanced at their horrible injuries. Her mind told her that they were elves and that they deserved it… but then it began to question. Her father abhorred elves… so why was he using them and rallying them now? The way he did it too, using the Dark Magic from the Sunfire staff to disguise himself as an Earthblood elf, was a little too easy… like he knew how to deal with them, like it was part of his plan. _We are nearly done waiting; it’s almost time._ He told her multiple times.

She told herself that all of this was building up towards something, that there _was_ a plan… but lately she had dangerous seeds planted in her head. What even was the end goal? Viren never told her. Instead, he always told her what she wanted to hear. His words felt sweet and she would drop her concerns immediately… but now they felt too sweet actually. Her entire childhood she always tried to get him to notice her, to get his love, acceptance and attention… but now it felt really easy. She thought it would be fine, but in reality it felt off. She didn’t know what to do with herself… yet she didn’t speak to him about her doubts.

She stopped in front of a dungeon cell. Crawled up on the floor, twitching violently, was an Earthblood elf chained by his wrist and feet. His brown skin around his exposed chest and arms had symmetric circular black marks… with smoke still coming off of them. Her father had punished this elf very recently.

He noticed her and extended one of his charred hands towards her. “Water…” the elf begged, his voice trembling as much as his body was. “… please.”

“You doubted our leader, Rodolfo.” She said sternly through the bars on the door. The elf squirmed in fear from the name she uttered. _My father_ , she said in her mind. “You spoke against him… this is your punishment. It will teach you to not question him again and it will be a signal to others too.” It rolled off her tongue as if on command and memorised… but she realised that only now. Her turn did not reveal any tentativeness that she had. She wanted to walk further down, but stilled when she noticed her father’s dark shadow leaving the dungeons at the end of that corridor. She rigidly turned around and hurried off towards the other exit.

* * *

  
Ezran didn’t need to be told when they were approaching the Drakewood’s Hall. The first thing he noticed was the sudden change of colours. Unlike the green leaves in the forests of Western Xadia, the leaves here were lighter coloured and had shades of teal and turquoise. The mighty oaks with wide, deep green barks stood like guards along UXaC’s way. They mixed in with birch-like trees that had a stunning clean snow-like bark and a canopy of pinkish leaves that protected them from the direct merciless heat of the sun’s rays. All of it was neatly laid out on the carpet that was red grass.

The humans of course never saw anything like this before, apart from Francis. Yet he still possessed a giddy grin on his face, as he talked to Callum about the nature of Earthblood elves. Although this conversation was only intended for him and Callum, neither Ezran nor his friends could resist getting closer and listening in on it. Even Ezran’s horse seemed to be excited to listen to this story.

“Notoriously stubborn.” He heard him tell Callum.

“Worse than you or me?” Callum asked.

“And Rayla.” Francis said. “Honestly, I would rather talk to a wall than get into an argument with an Earthblood elf, because at least that way my words will be echoed back to me.”

Callum sniggered, covering everyone else’s chuckle at that serious jab. “How come they are so stubborn then?”

“You see, they care deeply about the world’s nature, the balance it provides and especially the history of it.”

“I found history boring.” Callum remarked, a statement Ezran couldn’t agree with more.

“That’s a shame.” Francis shook his head. “It’s one of the best ways to avoid mistakes of our past, as it can inform our present and future.”

“We are free of our past.” Callum stated, his Sky Arcanum speaking in him.

“Not fully.” Francis disagreed and Ezran definitely saw a shadow peek on his face. “But we already had this conversation. You see, time is a funny thing. We like to divide it into three separate entities: past, present and future. Yet it’s not just a single infinite straight line. It’s a mass of strings connected and interwoven with each other in a plethora of ways that vector you to a multitude of points along it, sometimes completely random and seemingly unconnected to your current point.”

Throughout that fascinating explanation, Ezran got a little oblivious, as he didn’t notice how he began to slip off his horse. He didn’t even get to react to him falling, as a reliably steady hand grabbed him before he could. When he looked up, it was Marie who had him covered there. He nodded in gratitude and she returned a reassuring glance. He really shouldn’t have gawked so much at the surrounding exotic beauty and the interesting things Francis had to say.

“Can’t say I’ve ever seen it that way.” Callum conceded.

“Then you ought to consider things outside of your own perspective and yourself, even if my grandmother thinks it’s not fully possible.” Francis told him, his tone turning a little more earnest than it was. “If your information is asymmetric then yes, she’s right. However if you know, then you know. You could see a different truth that you never knew was there.”

Callum looked pensively to the side, as he flapped his wings a little slower after that. Ezran wanted to concentrate and perceive what he was thinking, but he ultimately resisted the urge, remembering Francis’s remarks earlier.

Francis raised his fist, halting UXaC. “Ladies and gentlemen, we are here.”

This part of the forest didn’t look any different, until Ezran looked a little closer. In the distance he could see holes in the trees that resembled small little huts and around the opening in the field, he could see various tent-like structures that were made entirely from leaves, densely packed together. Some tents were made of green leaves, some of red and some of pink. It made him want to live in one, as he wondered how the inside of it would be structured. Since he didn’t get to visit one today, he was left guessing… and his guess was more leaves.

Francis quickly turned back and called for Soren, Archibald, General Amaya and the Grand Army commanders, leaving the latter in charge. It seemed to Ezran (from the way that conversation went) that he, the New Dragonguard and the faction leaders were going in on their own. It added anxiety to his excitement earlier. It reminded him that this wasn’t a trip for fun or a vacation, as the eyes of the nobles quickly skewered him again, making the crown feel like it was crushing his skull. He decided it would be best to leave Bait with Soren for this one.

“As for the rest of you,” Francis addressed those that remained at the front. “We are going in, but remember that it is imperative that you let me do all the talking… at least initially. Understood?”

Neither Ezran nor any of his friends had any qualms with that order… apart from Ibis and Janai. “That’s not what we agreed upon last night.” Ibis stated.

“I will be making the case; it’s a call for help for and from my people.” Janai argued.

“I ask you to indulge and trust me.” Francis said with an unconditional tone in his voice. “I never said about you not making the case. In fact as long as everything goes according to plan, you will be the one to make the case, as we agreed upon.”

Ezran exchanged glances with his friends, who had an uneasy look on their faces. What could possibly go wrong in a diplomatic mission? It seems that this perceived lack of trust of this Earthblood leader didn’t surprise Ibis or Janai, as they both nodded rather calmly. “Fine.” They were persuaded.

“We dismount here and arrive on foot.” Francis said, doing so himself and the rest following in his stead.

Ezran followed Francis’s lead, remaining close by him to the point that he could occasionally feel his cape curl around him. He looked from side to side, feeling very off about this settlement. “Why is it so quiet? Where is everyone?” He asked Francis. Everywhere he looked at, he could only see bare tree barks with odd leaves, flowers and twigs sticking out of them. He could barely see inside those leafy tents… maybe there was something inside, but it was hard to discern.

“It’s always quiet, when visitors come.” Francis said, with a knowing look that told Ezran that there was something more to this. “Let’s just say that they want to preserve the nature how it is for the guests.”

Callum and Marie looked at him in confusion, while the elves seemed to know something they didn’t. “What do you mean?” Ezran pretty much took the words right out of Callum’s and Marie’s mouths.

“Look closely.” Francis told him with a mischievous grin.  
And so Ezran did… and what he saw was unsettling at first. When he managed to narrow his eyes enough, he saw that there was a reason to the oddity of the position of those twigs, leaves and flowers. Beneath them, he found that a pair of white sclerae were visible. They were all Earthblood elves blending in with their environment, looking at them and inspecting their moves. It certainly gave Callum a scare as he jumped and it was enough for Ezran to stop dead in his tracks.

Francis put his strong hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry,” he calmed him down. “They only do that when you enter. After we enter the courtroom they will continue as normal, so you’ll get to see a sliver of what happens in their lives.”

“What about those who are connected more to the animals?” Callum asked, quieter than usual, because it felt really weird to be loud during this uneasy atmosphere.

“They stay in those leaf tents you see.” Francis replied. “Come on, it’s time to see their courtroom and their Greeting Berries.” He said with a big smile on his face, instantly calming down those who were unnerved. Francis grabbed Ezran’s hand and squeezed it for extra reassurance. He felt relaxed after that, reigniting back his excitement about discovering the Drakewood’s Hall’s courtroom.

* * *

Yet again, he was able to recognise that they were approaching it, as the trees became denser and instead of oak and birch, more and more willow trees appeared. Francis stopped everyone when they came up to a dense set of willow leaves and branches that were hanging all the way down to the ground. It was a joy to watch Francis’s expressions to all of this, as he stood akimbo and with a huge grin on his face. You wouldn’t be able to tell that he was here before, as Ezran subconsciously reflected his pose. He knew that this wasn’t just an ordinary thing before him and Ezran couldn’t wait and see what it was.

The leaves suddenly opened like a beautiful set of curtains, revealing a secluded glade, with red grass beneath them and green willow leaves circling it. The room (which in truth wasn’t really a room, but felt like one to Ezran anyway) gave off a leafy greenish hue as the sun’s rays lit up the canopy. It was spacious and had no hints of any unnatural structures. In fact only the throne resembled anything from a furniture a normal courtroom would have, but even that was made out of leaves and branches.

Speaking of the throne, it was occupied. Ezran’s eyes laid on an Earthblood elf who had light green eyes and wooden brown skin. Her green hair had tiny woven braids that ran a long way down, resembling leaves or vines. On her head she wore a crown that was covered in brightly coloured flowers, he had never seen before in his life. Her dress was made from different stems and also had live flowers that were darker than the ones on the crown. It was sleeveless and instead of seams it had white leaves, revealing her smooth brown skin with occasional sprouts on her arms.

The dress almost went down to the ground and Ezran noticed how she was barefooted and had only four toes. Only then he noticed that on the way up to her, there was a corridor of elven soldiers who had their plain clothes match the colour of their skin. They were also barefooted, so maybe it was conventional for Earthblood elves? He supposed that they really needed to feel the earth. However what was unconventional for Ezran was the number of those soldiers. It felt like there were quite a lot of them in this one room, but then again he didn’t know the Order of Druids’ conventions.

Without concentrating much or trying at all, he suddenly felt someone’s thought spike into his mind. _Is the grass a little redder there…? It’s not autumn yet, so why is it so red… or am I imagining it being that red and it was just a while since I saw the grass in Drakewood?_ That was definitely Francis’s voice. Ezran looked at him and noticed how he was glancing around to the sides at those guards. His eyes stopped darting around and remained a little longer on one spot all the way to the side and behind the soldier’s corridor. Ezran followed the gaze and found it to be looking at a young soldier who was nervously tapping his bow that he was holding by his side. He seemed to be the only one in the room who had a bow. There was also a strange expression on his face, like he was or had been ill.

“Marie,” Francis spoke to her a little quietly. “I always thought you look better with one of your sleeves pulled up. The asymmetry is unique and pretty.” She didn’t say anything back and she didn’t look like she knew why he suddenly said that, but she did as he asked anyway.

They exited this soldier’s corridor and approached the more open area of the courtroom before the Earthblood Queen. When they stopped, Ezran thought for a moment that the ground felt wetter and softer, as if it had been raining but he quickly dismissed it as his imagination, since it hadn’t rained at all for the past several days.

“We, the Order of the Druids and its brotherhood, welcome you seven ambassadors to our home.” She had a surprisingly deep voice that reverberated around the circular courtroom. “May we not forget our past as we strive to keep balance in life.”

Francis elegantly bowed, with one hand on heart and the other outstretched gracefully like a beautiful tree branch. “Queen Abelone, we, the representatives of UXaC and its Grand Army, stand humbly before you.”

Ezran was aware of this apparent mistrust of the Order of Druids from others, even if right now it didn’t seem like it was the case. Yet, there was uneasiness in Ezran’s stomach. He wasn’t sure whether he was feeling off because he knew about that mistrust or because there was actually something off about Queen Abelone. Maybe he was just feeling very nervous about being in an official meeting with an elven faction for the first time ever?  
“May you all take these Greeting Berries as a sign of fortune and goodwill of our brotherhood.” She decreed.

Ezran watched seven Earthblood elves approach each one of them. They did the exact same bow as Francis did earlier and they held that position. From their fingertips a small branch grew and on it was a big sugar white berry. As soon as Francis took his, everyone knew that they could take theirs and did so. When Ezran put the berry into his mouth, he felt it immediately begin to melt, bursting its slightly viscous juice onto his tongue. He could feel his eyes light up and he almost got a rush from this, easily forgetting about his earlier tension. Francis was right – this had to be the sweetest thing in existence.

Ezran saw Ibis and Janai to his left, nod at their experience, while on the right Rayla had her eyes closed in pleasure, as Marie and Callum had widened their eyes in surprise at how good this was. He wondered what expression Francis was making who definitely had this before. Yet when he caught the side of Francis’s face, his head was tilted forward and his eyes were closed… but not in pleasure like Rayla’s, but instead as if he was trying very hard to taste it. And then Ezran noticed his face momentarily twitch a grimace. It returned to normal, but not for long, as he frowned and furrowed his eyebrows. Whatever he was doing was incredibly intense and quick, as Ezran felt Francis’s thoughts race around his brain as well. At the moment, they were just a buzzing noise that whizzed past his mind, inviting him to try and read them. Even if he was curious and regardless of how easy it was for him to feel that energy bubble around him, Ezran respected Francis’s request to not intrude on anyone’s thoughts unless absolutely necessary.

Those racing thoughts whizzed away as quickly and suddenly as they started, as Francis took another very small step towards the throne. He opened his eyes, shook his head and sniggered. _The game is afoot._ Ezran heard him think.

“Is there something amusing, Francis?” Queen Abelone reacted.

“No, I’m just very glad that improvisation is one of my strengths.” He said not at all in his usual light-hearted way. “Firstly, I must say that this berry, this sign of goodwill, had a tinge of sourness.”

“What?!” Queen Abelone stared at him as if he grew a second head. Ezran and others also looked at him in shock. “That shouldn’t be possible! You’re not an Earthblood elf! How did you?!”

“Crazy, I know. Yet, I’m still not mad, otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to deduce this at all.” Francis crossed his arms with a very confident and slightly smug expression on his face. He was going all out, as his voice projected across the entire courtroom like it was a theatre. “Do you know what’s sweeter that any candy or fruit?” He looked at her with narrow eyes, giving a slightly dramatic pause. “A well-constructed lie that you want to feed someone. But even the best lies can be undone. All it took for me to see right through all of this was a few simple seemingly unrelated connections.” Ezran could feel Queen Abelone’s indignant stare, as she clearly didn’t believe that he was telling the truth. Francis simply ran his hand through his forelock as he tilted his head forward. “It is very fortunate that the grass beneath us is red.” He paused, dropping the theatrics and said the next words with a very grave tone. “It makes blood quite hard to see.”

A stunned silence followed. Blood? Ezran remembered that he thought that the grass was wet and so he lifted his boot. To his horror, the soles of his boots were red. He let out a cry, jumping away as well, only to find his brother’s hands holding him and trying to put him a little at ease. Francis continued talking. “I think that right there was my direct proof that I am right.”  
The room fell into dead silence. Ezran looked up, seeing that Francis had his hands by his hip and slightly behind him, palms turned towards Ezran as if he was shielding him. Even his cape seemed to grow wider and made itself as big as possible as well. Unsure of what was about to happen next, he saw Marie dart in Francis’s direction, along with a viciously quick slap of her left forearm. She dived across in front of him. Ezran heard a distinct twang of the bow, followed by a clang of two metal surfaces colliding with each other and then the thump of Marie meeting the ground. “Perceptiveness and clairvoyance are too a strength of mine.” Francis continued nonchalantly. “Exactly why I made myself an easier target… and all of this without a sword to prevent creating further chaos and inviting your soldiers to strike me.”

 _Wait!_ Ezran thought. _He knew this was going to happen? He risked his life just to make sure that if anyone got hurt then it would be him that did?!_

“Thanks for covering me.” Francis quickly added and pulled Marie up by her forearm, who still was catching her breath.

“Who dares to shoot during a diplomatic meeting?” Queen Abelone formed angry fists on the throne, looking in the direction of the poor young soldier who did it. “History showed many times what is done to those who mistreat a diplomat.” She said coldly. Just as she said that, all of the soldiers on the left side, stepped backwards and formed a new line in front of the young archer at fault, almost building a defensive wall around him. “What is the meaning of this?”

“It’s pretty obvious,” Francis continued casually, grabbing and making sure her attention was solely on him. “His fellow brothers-in-arms want to protect him and give him another chance.”

“I’m afraid I’m not giving him another chance, since life and history don’t give it to anyone.” Queen Abelone said with such decisiveness that Ezran could feel the ground shake in response… but not Francis.

“Forgive him, Queen Abelone, for he is still young and history has shown that it is the youth who usually get given another chance.” He lowered his head, pointing his sharp forelock directly at her. “I wouldn’t be surprised if that was the first execution he ever witnessed. And It had to be either a pretty heinous crime or a very dangerous set of individuals, otherwise why would you need so many soldiers.” Ezran looked around at his friends and the leaders. There was the same expression on all of their faces, the same question was drawn on it: what was going on? “To be totally honest with you, the amount of troops you have around right now is still very high, are you expecting an attack?” Francis asked genuinely.

Queen Abelone laughed very quietly and a little maliciously, but she didn’t deign him with a response to his question. “You are still clever, aren’t you? Cleverer than I gave you credit for.”

“And you still don’t trust me.” Francis pointed out bluntly and unceremoniously.

“Tell me, why should I?” She challenged. “Why should I let you, who suddenly popped up very recently with an army of his and an idea to boast about, do anything?”

“Because I’m here to help push everything to a brighter future.” Francis decreed.

“Help?” She mocked. “You are ignoring us!”

“That’s a lie!”

“No, it’s not.” Queen Abelone slammed her fist into the throne. “You did the harder part of the task – figuring out that you are standing on top of the recent site of an execution. So it should be extremely easy to figure out who it was, if you know even a pebble of our current relations with other factions. There is no way for you to not figure it out… unless you are ignoring us, of course.”

“So that’s why you sent a letter claiming you could help us.” He said, crossing his arms. “I, among others, had a feeling that you having a potential solution to the Sun Forge was a sweet lie.”

Queen Abelone sneeringly smirked. “I see desperation written in that move, because look how quickly you showed up, whilst also being so friendly with the Sunfire elves. You are ignoring our problems!”

“I’m merely prioritising an issue that could affect the whole world, rather than private issues.” Francis told her sternly.

“This is their problem that only pertains to them!” Queen Abelone shouted, making Ezran hide behind Francis’s cape. “Our problem is between the Order of the Druids and the Geo Tribe – it’s not solely ourselves.”

“It is a personal problem between your own people!” Francis fearlessly reiterated his point.

“We are not the same as those that abandoned us, our brotherhood!” She retorted. “They are stronger than us and believe in different things! We cannot afford to be wiped out by them!”

“Considering there is a forge that could potentially wipe out the whole of Xadia, it is very selfish of you to put such personal things above the needs of the world!” Francis exclaimed.

“That’s what the leaders do.” She stated. “We serve and fight solely for our people! Outsiders to a faction don’t matter to the leader – it’s how it always has been and it’s how it always will be!” Ezran felt a little ill, hearing that crop up again.

“And that’s not what UXaC is!” Francis objected.

“Oh, please, what is UXaC anyway? It’s too new to have a reputation. You have soldiers who are here most likely because they are either from Lux Aurea or followed your name. There are no selfless reasons to protect the delicate peace and ‘push forward to a brighter future’ here!”

“We are here to solve a potential world crisis!” Francis raised his voice further.

“Well, I already have a crisis that needs to be solved and you will solve it! You are to go to consul Terry in the Far Reaches and you are to force him to stop his blatant attacks on us by any means necessary!” She got up from her throne and she was so fired up that Ezran was grasping her mind without trying. It was one big dark web of mistrust, paranoia and political intrigue, that made Ezran’s head spin. “Until you do that, I will not grant you access out of my lands, be it going to the East towards Tidebound Archipelago or back to the Storm Spire from where you came from! I will attack and decimate your tiny Grand Army if you try to do anything funny.”

Francis didn’t reply immediately, as he stood pensively. Ezran noticed Marie took a step in their direction, but she hesitated to take the next as her hand hovered around her chest. Callum and Rayla both looked like they didn’t know what to say or do, even if they used to have been able to stand up and support Francis in moments like these in the past. On the other hand, Ibis and Janai did not hold back.

“This is preposterous!” Ibis exclaimed.

“We have a real issue here!” Janai argued.

“You arrogant Sunfire elves only think about yourselves!” Queen Abelone spat. “And since when did we have Skywing elves that cared about anything at all?”

Francis narrowed his eyes at her, whilst raising his fist to prevent Ibis and Janai from arguing further. “I see you really think that Geo Tribe were the ones responsible for killing and draining the power of your leader, Rex Terra?”

“Of course, why would there be a group of gem and mineral kind of Earthblood elves to come and assassinate me here then? They sent them! They’ve upset the balance and are still trying to overpower us, wrongfully blaming us for his death!” There was a sceptical expression written on Francis’s face, but Ezran could tell that she fully believed that.

Francis stayed silent only for a little bit longer, but then he turned around and took a step towards the exit. “Will you let us sort this out on our own?” He asked her, looking over his shoulder.

“We will.” She replied. That perhaps was the sickliest and sweetest lie Ezran could feel from anyone. It was enough to make him visibly recoil, if not vomit. This just felt so wrong! He couldn’t believe that any good and self-respecting leader would do something like that. It was unjust, overly-harsh and extremely narrowminded of her to act that way. If all a leader did was fight solely for his people, by that definition who was Francis then?

Francis didn’t reply. He simply shrugged his shoulders and headed towards the exit. It didn’t seem like he took her word for it.

“Are you serious?” Ibis looked at him wide-eyed. “You said it yourself – we have bigger problems!” He argued.

Francis spoke, as he marched towards the exit to the courtroom. “I’m afraid we don’t have a choice… and didn’t I say that it was pointless arguing with them anyway?”

* * *

What surprised Viren about the Moon Meadows the most was the lack of currency. The busy markets and street vendors only did everything in exchange for something else, usually a service. It must have been really amusing for Cara and Truna when he told them that he had a pouch of coins and that he could buy them some supplies as a sign of gratitude. Considering how hard they both laughed when he found out about how things were actually done here, amusing was an understatement and hilarious fitted better.

Conversation would always easily start-up with vendors, even if after his resurrection and many black-outs he still wasn’t a fan of small talk. All he had to remember to avoid being sneered or scolded at, was to not say anything that would make him sound materialistic. Apparently Moonshadow elves hated that and something deep down told him that he was supposed to know that.

When he carried the crates home, he would always feel the razor sharp stares of the passers-by on the back of his skull. He had a lot of people who now knew of him and talked to him. In fact, pretty much the whole meadow knew about him. This time however when someone stopped him, he politely asked to talk some other time, since he had food to deliver to his saviours. When conversations did take place earlier, he was so very open about humanity and himself, that it felt completely unlike him. Maybe it was his way of trying to sweetly lie and disguise the bitter truth that was his true identity. He was still wondering how no one realised that he was the one who led the human atrocities of an army in The Battle. Was his name taboo? Or were the events that took place there or led up to The Battle that bad that no one even dared to say the culprit’s name?

Climbing the stairs to the top of the tree was difficult, especially if you still hadn’t fully recovered from a recent attack and loss of consciousness. “Cara… Truna… I have… put the box… with supplies… by the kitchen’s door.” Viren panted. He wanted to go to bed, as was per usual, but today went a little differently.

“Viren.” He heard Truna call him back. He stood at the door frame.

“Me and my wife just want to say thank you for your help.” Cara decreed.

“It is what I must do after everything.” Viren replied calmly.

Truna shook her head. “You weren’t obliged.”

“We didn’t do it because we wanted you to owe us.” Cara supported her.

“We did it because it was the right thing to do.” Truna stated.

“And we didn’t ask anything in return.” Cara added.

“Just like you.” Truna concluded.

He always remembered thinking that Moonshadow elves were heartless and arrogant, but he never remembered them seeing so sweet and considerate. It touched him to hear them thank him.

“With good humans like you, there is definitely a chance that we can have this delicate peace and move to a brighter future.” Cara said. Viren’s head throbbed when he heard that.

“Yeah, having you by Francis’s strong-willed side you could make a great team!” Truna added.

“Especially with how headstrong, devoted, selfless and brave Francis is. You are sure to succeed.” Cara rested her head on her fist with a nostalgic look on her face.

“I wish Francis was a Moonshadow elf.” Truna sighed wistfully.

“I could marry him as it is.” Cara almost whispered, calmly.

“Me too.” Truna replied, equally serious.

“But I met you first.” Cara giggled.

“I met you first.” Truna disagreed.

Neither of them noticed how Viren quickly exited. He was feeling worse by the second, as he held his head. The truth he hid; the lie he kept up – he did it so well, that they didn’t realise the irony of their words. That irony was like a dagger to his heart that cut it in half. On the one hand, his used to be fine with it, but on the other hand ever since his death, resurrection and losing his son and daughter he questioned his stance and then grew to abhor it. His head, his mind split into two, not knowing what to do about it now. He didn’t even know who he was anymore! Not to mention that he was still planning to go back out there and find his daughter.

When Viren managed to get back to sleep, he didn’t have the best of times, as that head splitting headache followed him into his dream. Worst of all, it decided to play a cruel game with him.

 _Dad, is that you?_ Viren could hear Claudia’s anxious voice echoing from the dream. It made his heart twist. _I don’t recognise you._ She said backing away as she pointed at the staff he was holding. He saw himself in the dream grow bigger over her and take heavy and threatening steps towards her, helping himself with his staff. _Help me! Set me free!_ She suddenly began to shout, trying to push him away. As she did so, his coin bag that he had dropped out of his pocket. He picked it up, but when he looked up, they were at the market… and she looked like she was going to tell him off, as she took a step towards him with a scowl on her face. _You lied to all of us! We know who you are!_ Cara and Truna also joined the closing suffocating semicircle, blood dripping from their beastly mouths. _You did this!_

Viren woke up in the middle of the night in complete cold sweat, as he panted heavily and his heart was desperate to escape the confines of his chest. His head was still splitting in half and he hated it, because getting back to sleep would be even more difficult now. He decided to fix his clothes he had laid out on the table… and when he was fixing his trousers, something clanked in his pocket. It was like a sound of coins hitting against each other. He reached out to that pocket and removed the pouch out of it. He didn’t know why he brought the pouch with him when he led the combined forces of human kingdoms, but he needed to know how much money he had left.

When he opened the patch and took out a coin, he let out a horrid scream. There were pained and anxious elven faces etched on them… and they were moving, banging against the face of the coin! _You did this!_ It echoed in his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sinister stuff is brewing! Hopefully you enjoyed my take on one half of the Earthblood elf's society and what traditions they may have and what they would live in.   
> We're starting to see some identity issues for the characters and how it affects the external problems and what parallels can be drawn between them. I enjoyed writing this chapter, adding a little bit of everything from nearly everyone. There actually wasn't supposed to be a Claudia scene in this one, but I decided to add it in the end. I especially enjoyed writing how Callum feels magic and the deduction part of the scene in the courtroom.   
> Thank you for reading this! Next up, the other half of the Earthblood elf's society (and oh boy are they something) and some more sinister stuff.


	7. Standing Your Ground

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What is philosophy, but simple truths we attribute to our lives? A ground that we choose to stand on and build upon our views, beliefs and ideas.”

The now busy glade of Drakewood’s Hall was crowded by all kinds of Earthblood elves. Some with plants and vines coming off of them, some with stunning antlers and leaves growing on their arms and legs. They dressed in all manners of vibrant and bright clothing, making every single one of them look luscious and classy. They looked as tactful as Queen Abelone was until she was exposed.

They stared at them as they returned to the Grand Army, whispering Francis’s name as he unconditionally paved the way for his friends right through them. For Ezran, this wasn’t the most pleasant of experiences, as he was able to sense their feelings and thoughts without even trying. The crowd had a mixture of respect, curiosity, mistrust and in some cases even disgust in their minds. Apart from Francis’s name, he could occasionally hear them whisper his, Rayla’s and Callum’s names. He wondered how they knew their names, but his answer came very quickly: “Mom, are they the Heroes of The Battle at The Storm Spire?”

He certainly felt a little more nervous from that, but at least not as uncomfortable as the poor Marie, who clearly did not appreciate being under the spotlights of eyes. He tried to ignore it, but he almost immediately thought of the nobles… and the crown went heavier on his head. His stomach started to knot up when he realised that they were going to have to tell everyone of the events that took place, including Councilman Chis. He and the nobility certainly wouldn’t like that and they were certainly going to use that point in their argument against Ezran’s future endeavours with UXaC. His head was gone – he had no hill to die on; no ground to stand on. How long would he be able to persist with this endeavour before the nobles did what they threatened to do? Why did he have to be a king?

“What happened?” Ezran heard those who got left behind ask. Already thinking too much of the nobles, his stomach went leaden, but in actuality the question was addressed to the storming Francis.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we just got used.” He announced honestly through the shadow on his face, as he got up on his horse.

“Which is not surprising,” Janai said as she got up on her inferno tooth tiger.

“We are leaving now.” Francis stated. His demeanour was ice cold as he looked dead ahead.

“Now?” The others asked.

“Do I look like I want to risk causing more of a scene here and provoke Queen Abelone into attacking our Grand Army?” Him simply saying that with his chilly tone made others flinch, so perhaps it was for the best that Francis didn’t look at them.

“He’s right,” Ibis agreed. “We need to go as quickly as possible, before she does anything foolish.”

“Like what?” Ezran asked.

“A war.” Ibis elaborated.

“A civil war, in their case.” Francis corrected a little absentmindedly, as his eyes looked way into the distance.

Ezran had seen him like this before: when Callum was gone as they crossed The Weeping Bay, when he and Rayla returned after not helping Pyrrah and during his time at the Storm Spire before The Battle. He always went like this whenever he brooded and thought or reflected very carefully about various things.

In moments like those he was unreachable and Ezran couldn’t help but feel distraught about this whole incident. He was certain that Francis’s unrelenting gaze and obsidian core that he had could be broken only through his own high standards. He probably thought about how he could have done better, rather than try and pass it off as one-off circumstance and stubbornly narrow viewpoint going against him. Right now, he most likely was thinking that he should have seen it coming as he knew about this situation and their stubborn nature, whilst ignoring the fact that he was right – that there was no way it would make sense to prioritise the Earthblood elves’ squabble over the uncertain threat of Lux Aurea’s Sun Forge.

No, he wouldn’t go about it any other way as he held others and especially himself to the highest of standards. It was perhaps why after staying strong for the past several years and forging his own path, he was able to form UXaC and then promote it around Eastern Xadia and get the trust from others, especially Queen Zubeia, to lead it. It certainly caught his eye, as well as the eyes of Rayla, Callum and even Marie, who had an admiring, yet very concerned look in her eyes all throughout that confrontation in the courtroom.

Trying not to think too hard of the disturbing fact that he stood in a pool of blood and also wishing to leave Francis to his thinking session, Ezran decided to ask Ibis and Janai. “So where are we going?”

“To the Far Reaches.” They replied.

“Helmi Planes.” Francis said simply… and that response made everyone’s heads turn. There was a cold and calculating tone in his voice, that signalled to others that not only that destination was unconditional, but they were only going there for one thing and he already started planning out their actions and back-ups to them. It certainly made Rayla grimace and cross her arms, as if she wanted to do something else that was really important to her.

But Francis didn’t say or add anything else… he didn’t even signal for everyone to start moving, as he went ahead, forcing everyone to keep up with him. He didn’t say another word that day.

* * *

Several sleepless and restless days have passed. Francis was the same brooding figure who barely spoke for the day, making others around him attentive and tense whenever he walked past, approached them or was even in the field of vision as they prepared for whatever Helmi Planes were going to be. It was unerring to state that a mental battle with himself boiled in Francis’s brain for the past few days, as he figured things out.

For Ezran, these days were a little uninspiring and lethargic. Apart from the now painfully piercing glare he was being given by the nobles, the Far Reaches were also just a steppe with golden-orange grass and very rare set of lonely trees and shrubs. The more South they went, the more rare they became, instead being replaced by a couple of rocks. There was simply nothing to look at or distract himself with.

Instead everywhere he looked reminded him that these were dreary days. Callum and Rayla to him felt like there was a hole within them that was simultaneously driving them angry and holding them back. Marie was her usual self: quiet and shy, yet observing and soaking in everything around her. Francis, just like him, was under a lot of pressure and although he remained brooding and closed for all of these days (something that Marcos and Ibis were very concerned about as they failed to break through to him), he seemed to have been coping fine… or at least, Ezran and many others had unquestionable faith in him. He wanted the best for everyone and he got the results, no matter how ambitious and how the odds were stacked against him. He was rarely ever approached by anyone during those days and if he was, it was always related to the task at hand. However that trend was going to be broken.

It was very late at night. The stars reigned the night sky, but they were unusually reserved today. The whole day of travelling was about as unremarkable as the previous one, apart from the fact that they were apparently only a day away from Helmi Planes and that they stopped by a rare set of trees that formed a tiny sheltered field.

He managed for once to fall asleep earlier than he had been, but his rest was interrupted by someone intently licking his face. It was Bait. He grumbled something Ezran didn’t understand at first. His brain was still returning from the dreaming landscape. When he sat up, the first thing he noticed was that poor Soren was sleeping, whilst sitting in the cross-legged position, carrying his guarding duty out like the good and devoted Crown Guard he was… even if he was asleep. Then his eyes focused on Bait and what he was croaking about. _Francis,_ his tone was one of concern, making Ezran hone in on his next words. _He is still awake and hasn’t even tried to get sleep yet._

“What?” Ezran accidentally said loudly, as he looked around thinking he might have woken someone up. Fortunately no one seemed to have even moved a muscle, let alone wake up… unless they did it quietly of course. _What is he doing then?_ He asked Bait in his mind.

 _He has been brooding on his own for a while._ He told him.

“Where?” Ezran said it quieter this time.

_The sheltered field._

Ezran got up at once and they went over immediately. His step was at first very confident, almost befitting a king… but the closer he got to the set of trees the more doubt grew in him. _Maybe I should leave him alone? Maybe he was busy with leading UXaC or figuring out the Earthblood elf problem? Maybe I will only be a nuisance?_

 _Just go in!_ Bait growled at him and Ezran agreed with that. After all, he had to try. The worst that could happen was Francis asking him to be left alone, which wasn’t scary or anything.

When he saw Francis, his entire body froze up from the powerful, ice cold breeze his posture gave out. He was leaning up against the tree, with one of his legs drawn closer to his chest. He had his arms resting in a thinking pose on that knee and he looked straight ahead of him. His straight back, indicated no sign of weariness, but instead sent out a signal of strength he was putting up to defy those odds. It was scary when Francis got this determined, but it was utterly terrifying if he was up against you. That aura, that presence sent chills down people’s backs, such was his ability to command the attention of the room. Yet, he was able to provide so much inspiration for others and cared extremely deeply for them, that he was revered and respected by others. In fact, it was so incredible for him to be so ‘loud’ at times and then at others, he was able to disappear and fade into the background, like he was before Bait woke Ezran up. That adaptability, that versatility – Ezran wished he could have that. He admired that, amongst other things, and he admired him as a leader… no, he looked up to him entirely as a person too!

Without even giving his position away at all, Francis turned his head in Ezran’s direction. He heard about it and experienced it enough times that he didn’t even bother asking how Francis knew that he was there. “Thank goodness, you’re here Ezran.” Francis told him and the cold breeze was suddenly replaced by the light in his eyes that outshone the stars in the night sky. He flashed up a smile so bright that it could put the sun to shame. “Good night,” he added. Of course he couldn’t give up his usual tact. “I’ve been waiting for so long, many days in fact, for someone to just come and say hello. I was getting a little lonely here.” He patted the ground next to him, inviting Ezran to sit beside him. He looked up at the sky. “It’s a lovely night tonight… romantic even, if there was a girl next to me.”

“You look a little tense as well.” Ezran pointed out.

Francis snorted. “I’m feeling daggers that someone’s pointing at me with laser-focused precision.” He said with a chuckle. Ezran looked at him confused. “It’s high expectations, Ezran. My own high expectations.” He downplayed and even laughed a little. Yet Ezran felt something off about him… and not just the shadow on his face that was still there, visible even in the dark.

“Are you alright?” Ezran checked.

“Why are you asking me that?” Francis asked.

Ezran took a deep breath. He had been holding it off for a while now. “I don’t know if you know about it or feel it and if anyone else can see it, but ever since The Battle, that shadow is still present on your face… and it seems to have grown a little darker.”

Ezran waited for a response, feeling the crushing silence that was in the air. Francis finally sighed. “I do know and feel it and you seem to be the only who sees it… but it’s probably nothing.”

“But why is it still there?”

“I can’t tell why Ezran.” Francis looked to the side. “What I have done back then at The Battle is unforgivable.” He took a deep breath, his shadow growing a little worse at the memory. Ezran immediately placed a hand on his shoulder to comfort him. “I went against my own philosophy. I have failed and let myself down. I am my harshest critic and my punishment for this is to non-stop work and improve without failure.”

“Is that why you can’t forgive that leader?” Ezran asked a little hesitantly. “The one…”

“Yes.” Francis cut him off, looking more tense. “He has let me down.” He said with his eyes closed. He valued life greatly, so much that he always did the riskiest parts of everything to ensure that others had the best chance of survival. He would be able to take care of himself and although Ezran hated that he took such risks, he wouldn’t dare to imagine how Francis would feel if he knowingly put someone else in greater danger. He wouldn’t be able to live with himself if they died as a result. “However,” he exhaled, seeming to relax and the atmosphere becoming lighter too. “That’s not why you’re here.”

Ezran could gawk at how he was able to figure it out, but then again he did this often enough that Ezran never questioned it. “It’s just… you’ve been on your own for a while…”

Francis smirked. “I see Bait must have told you.”

 _How did he know?_ Bait groaned.

“I know a lot of things, Bait,” Francis pointed out smugly, but in a light-hearted way. “One of which is that there is only one person who would wake Ezran up at this time of night.”

 _How does he know what I just thought about?_ Bait looked at Ezran in shock. _Can he do the same thing as you?_

“No, Bait,” Ezran calmed him down. “He just knows you well enough.”

“Look, I’m just a little distraught, Ez.” Francis explained.

“About what?” He asked.

Francis shook his head. “How selfish have people become that they stopped seeing others around them.” He looked at him. “If there is anything you take away from going on this diplomatic mission, is that you never become someone like that. Promise me, please.”

“I don’t know if I can.” Ezran looked away, twiddling his thumbs. He was afraid that he would feel Francis go tense, but nothing of the sort took place. “A king is supposed to fight for his own people. I got told that so many times and I saw Queen Abelone do it a few days ago. Queen Janai is here on behalf of her own people. What if it’s the only way and I am wasting my and others’ time by trying to act like I can help everyone?”

“There is another way.” Francis said. “It’s a lesson that your brother and Rayla also need to learn.”

“Which is?”

“Balance.” Francis replied. “How we focus on things life tells us to juggle.”

“And how?” Ezran sat up and looked at him intensely.

“I will be kidding myself if I told you I knew the answer to that question.” Francis said and Ezran deflated. In retrospect, Ezran should have been aware that even if Francis knew, he would still not tell him, since he would want Ezran to find the answer to that question himself. “I am fully aware of my responsibilities as the one who leads UXaC.” Francis continued. “I won’t be able to forget, even if I tried, because Janai and Ibis remind me about it every day. Yet, Ez, I cannot ignore the things around me. Callum and Rayla are angry at each other and are not the same as they have been. Rayla is getting annoyed at the fact that I’m not searching for Viren. Marie is still struggling to come out of her shell to be more than what she currently is. We may have a world to worry about, but there are simple, more common things and problems to worry about as well. We are all living beings; we aren’t perfect.” Francis looked at Ezran with an earnest look in his face. “Tough times are ahead of me, Ez. Always has been; always will be. But no matter what, I will stand my ground, believe in my philosophy and do things my way. I will find a solution to every problem. I will keep going, because if I don’t, then not only I will let others down, but they also won’t get the help that I could provide. And as to why I want to do these things? Well, we can only strive to leave things better than we originally found them.” Ezran went pensive as he looked to the side, taking in those words. Francis put his arm around Ezran’s shoulder and rubbed his arm. “Speaking of not being able to ignore things, you looked a little down the past few days.” He told him, giving him a pat on the back to help him sit up. “Let me do something that will cheer you up.”

Ezran perked up and shifted closer. He wasn’t sure what to expect, but one look at Francis’s extended open palm and he assumed it would be some kind of magic trick – sleight of hand, most likely, like the one he did on the first day they met. What followed was far more astonishing than he could have ever expected. Francis’s eyes concentrated on his hand that was in front of Ezran. He curled his fingers slightly over and suddenly a small ice cube materialised on his palm. He handed it over to Ezran who held this cube like it was the most precious thing in the world. He immediately noticed that somehow that cube felt very warm, almost hot to touch.

Ezran gawked at him. “You... you can... you are...”

“Sssh,” Francis put up his finger up to his lips. “Do you want to wake the whole camp up?” He scolded him lightly.

“How long have you been a Mage for?” Ezran made the effort to ask as quietly as possible.

“Quite a while. Two weeks.” Francis replied.

“And you haven’t told anyone?”

“I can’t,” Francis replied, going on before Ezran had the chance to ask. “It’s a little bit inconsistent at the moment, though the Ice Primal and my body and mind are slowly becoming accustomed to each other.”

“Ice Primal?” Ezran repeated. “Callum only ever told me of six.”

“This one is extremely rare and I doubted its existence at one point, when I read that diary.” Francis explained. “I only know of one person who used this kind of magic before and even he didn’t tell anyone else about it, hence why he is such an obscure figure in the folklore. It makes me wonder why he didn’t go public with his ability and it makes me hesitant too.”

“So that’s why you had your ears buried in that diary.” Ezran pointed out. “And you can just summon ice like that?”

“Yep, it comes completely from within and so I don’t need to ever chant a spell.” Francis told him. “I just think about what I want to do and it happens.”

“Anything?”

“Well, pretty much.” Francis scratched the back of his head. “I’m still new at this and I’m not sure yet where the limits lie exactly. All I know is: nothing out of thin air, so it has to contact with something; my energy levels; size of the spell and distance from me… has to be visible? At least that’s what the diary mentioned thus far.”

“You were always a quick learner when you were back in Katolis, so let’s do some magic here!”

“Ez, although I am technically a Mage, I was more trained as a warrior and a leader. I don’t really see myself as a Mage and I certainly don’t want to over rely on the Ice Primal… so I’m not a Mage and please don’t call me that. Besides, it’s the middle of the night.” Francis reminded him. “We need to both get our sleep.” Ezran’s shoulders sagged and he pouted. “Don’t worry, when I can do my magic more precisely, then I will make you something special. Is that alright?”

“Okay. You’re right, it is quite late.” Ezran conceded.

“Just whatever you do, don’t tell about my Primal to anyone. Keep it a secret for now.” Ezran certainly had no intentions of telling anyone about this, even his brother. He respected Francis’s wish. “I also wouldn’t like to do much magic in front of other people, unless absolutely necessary.” He suddenly started speaking his next words louder. “Because I can feel someone watching us.” Ezran looked around. It was certainly too dark for him to tell if there was someone there. “Auras. I can sense them, especially if I know them well.” Francis said out loud speaking into the trees. “Still hiding and silently observing, I see. I pray that you don’t run away now.” He chuckled. “A shy and quiet aura. You really haven’t changed at all, have you, Marie?” Just as he finished speaking, Ezran saw a small figure of a lady emerge from the trees. It was her, just as he said it would be. He went on, albeit much more jocundly. “What business does a fine young lady such as yourself have listening in on two boys talking about boy stuff?” He definitely made her blush harder than she was already.

“I’m sor...” she began, but Francis immediately cut her off.

“Come join us already!” He offered to sit opposite him. “If no one is getting sleep tonight, then the more the merrier.” She quietly sat down, looking intently at him. “Apart from you, Ez. You have to get your growing body some sleep.”

“But I don’t want to.” He sulked.

“That’s an order!” Francis reiterated, although there was absolutely no anger in his tone.

“I don’t want to go.” Ezran resisted.

“You can sleep here, if you want to.” Francis told him.

“But it’s a little uncomfortable.” Ezran still tried to fight back. Didn’t he know fully well that there was no way to defeat Francis once he set his mind on something?

“Uncomfortable?” Francis repeated and then Ezran felt his sides being tickled. He burst out laughing and his defences were down as a result. “It’s uncomfortable to sleep on the ceiling, because the duvet keeps falling off… but fine.” Francis remarked, before Ezran felt him pick him up with his big strong hands and he was placed on his shoulders, with his back against the tree’s bark. “Is that comfortable enough for you, your Highness?”

“Maybe I should resist your order of going to sleep more often.” Ezran joked.

Marie held back her giggling. “Don’t push your luck,” she said with a smile on her face. Ezran couldn’t see it, but his mind certainly could feel it. It was the only way for him. “I must say that I admire your courage to be a king at such a young age.”

“It’s nothing particular special,” he continued to downplay it. “I’m just doing what I should be doing.”

She leaned closer. “I heard that you take great interest in your people and that you serve them well.”

That was not what the nobles told him. “I do?” Ezran asked. He could feel Francis give him a surprised look.

“Of course,” she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “They absolutely admire the fact that you fully throw yourself at everything and constantly on the lookout to do things better, not shying away from doing things that have never been done before. They sometimes wish you would give yourself a break every now and then.” She gave Francis a quick glance. “They think it is very progressive of you to build relations with Eastern Xadia.”

“But I thought they didn’t want peace and cooperation with Eastern Xadia.” Ezran said.

“Some don’t.” Francis pointed out. “But it doesn’t exclude the fact that there are those who want peace and cooperation.”

“You do it because you love doing it, don’t you?” Marie asked.

“Well,” Ezran screwed his face as he thought very hard about this. He couldn’t answer, but he was sitting on Francis’s shoulders in silence for too long. “Yes.” He blurted out.

“Can you tell me more about it?” She pushed.

And so Ezran told her why he enjoyed being a king. He spoke of helping others who needed guidance and leaving things for the better. His crown suddenly felt as light as a feather on his head, as he forgot about the nobility and their pressuring, skin peeling eyes. Throughout all this time, she listened carefully and she smiled.  
He hadn’t known her for long, but Ezran grew to feel and recognise her better now. These things became so subconscious for him, that he still didn’t recognise that his empathy ability had grown dramatically over the last month. She always treaded lightly and carefully, that much was obvious from the outset. Yet, Francis for some reason took to her. It was hard to imagine her as an incredibly gifted fighter like Francis or Rayla were. One could mistake her for a meek person, who had no business being a warrior… but that was only if you looked at the surface level – a tiny piece of ice that peaked through the ocean’s surface. Below that surface however, was a gigantic unbreakable iceberg.

Francis saw something in her, something that others didn’t either at all or to full extent. Ezran now could understand and feel it – she was like a rock-solid ground that supported everyone. A shield made of the strongest material that could ever exist... quite a lot like Francis. The only difference Ezran sensed was that he only saw her defend while Francis was quite a bit more versatile and adaptable.

When he finished talking, he completely forgot about the negatives. This conversation somehow brought out the best things about being a king and it reminded him that although there were struggles and problems, there were also positives that made him enjoy his job. Now with both sides of the coin, he could perhaps look for answers as to how he could make things better and move forward with everyone alongside him. Was he… trying to find balance in his job?

Ezran saw Marie give Francis a look. It seemed that perhaps there were two recipients to her message, although perhaps the message was not the same. One thing that Ezran couldn’t deny was that she was a very compassionate and sensitive person, hence why she was such a great support and a reliable defender. “Francis, you really should get some sleep.”

Francis didn’t say anything nor did he budge. When Ezran peeked over his forelock, his face was inscrutable. “I have been thinking for a while now,” he began evenly. “I might need a different perspective.”

“Francis, don’t avoid my remark.” Marie told him.

“I just need a little bit of help, okay?”

Ezran saw her face and her demeanour go softer, as she leant in. She stopped for a moment, perhaps realising something. Ezran felt Francis smile in return. She sighed. “Fine. What do you need help with?”

“Rex Terra was killed in unusual circumstances just over three hundred years ago,” Francis began. “No one knows who did it and the Earthblood elves turned on each other, just to blame someone since there were no obvious suspects in the death of their own leader, splitting into these two Orders we have today.”

“Why would they think that one of them killed their own leader?” Ezran asked.

“No one knows, but whoever did that drained the Archdragon of all of their power,” Francis continued. “As we will see tomorrow, both factions for all these three hundred years believe the other did it to gain their magical power and are now threatening to destroy the other one. Do we still follow? Is there anything that makes anyone question anything?”

“Not really, apart from why would they need to blame each other?” Marie asked.

“You see, when someone so big and powerful as an Archdragon is murdered, let alone the leader of the entire Earthblood elves’ kind, people are scared of the person who has done it.” Francis explained. “The murderer must have immense power and thus is a threat to everyone around them. So it becomes a priority to identify them, in order to know where the threat could come from and avoid public panic from uncertainty.”

“But why blame your fellow kind?” Ezran asked.

“Rex Terra had to juggle the needs of the floral and animal Earthblood kind and the gem and minerals Earthblood kind at the same time.” Francis continued. “It is obvious that some things couldn’t be done together at the same time. Naturally, they must have thought that he pushed the other faction a little too hard by not granting them something.”

“Are you thinking that someone else murdered Rex Terra?” Marie deduced.

“I’m certain of it.”

“Why?” Ezran and Marie asked at the same time.

“You’ll see tomorrow.” He replied.

“So what do you need help with?” Marie asked.

“Remember how I said that Earthblood elves are notoriously stubborn?” She nodded in response to Francis’s question. “Disproving that way of thinking they had over three hundred years is only half the job. Even if I had rock solid direct proof how it wasn’t them, they still wouldn’t change their mind.”

“They’ll need the actual culprit or at least a viable suspect to make them change their mind.” Marie understood.

“Hence why I have been thinking for the past couple of days.” Francis confirmed.

“And you are not going to simply point your finger at someone else randomly.” Ezran said.

Francis flinched. “Goodness no, even if it is the easier way out, I wouldn’t forgive myself if I did.”

Marie shook her head. “So you need to actually figure out the culprit from a murder that was done three hundred years ago?” Ezran could sense dubiousness coming from her. “How are you even going to achieve that?”

“I’m not sure, which is why I wanted to ask for a second perspective. I’m just not entirely sure whether I’m on the right path of thinking or not.” Francis crossed his arms and Ezran felt his mind go in deep thought.

Ezran reasoned. “How can you be sure? These events occurred way before we or our parents and grandparents were even born.”

“Is there an actual connection between these events or is it pure coincidence?” Francis thought out loud.

Marie leant closer and furrowed her brow. “What events?”

“Do you know who else died three hundred years ago? Coincidentally someone who was as powerful as an Archdragon?”

“Who?” Marie asked.

“Queen Aditi.” Francis told her. “Unknown circumstances and the killer was also not found… or so it would seem.”

Ezran heard of that name before from Aunt Amaya. Just like Francis she occasionally went to Lux Aurea to help rebuild it and during those times, she would talk to Queen Janai, who would tell her some stuff about her culture. One day she talked about Queen Aditi, her grandmother, who was a revered queen and became an extremely powerful Sunfire Mage and warrior, worthy of having Archdragons as her opponents. And then she was found dead and the killer wasn’t found.

Not according to Francis however. “Three hundred years ago a Startouch elf by the name of Aaravos was imprisoned by Avizandum, for reasons not disclosed to the public. So now we have an interesting situation. The death of Queen Aditi is not spoken about outside of the royal family or those close to it. The name of a certain imprisoned Startouch elf – taboo across the entirety of Eastern Xadia.”

“All of them not mentioned and spoken about at all?” Marie checked. “Even how she died or who might have killed her?

“Nope.” Francis shook his head.

“If it is, then it is certainly a very scary coincidence.” Marie held her head up by her chin.

“I don’t think so either, but I can’t know for sure.” Francis mused.

“Francis,” Marie said, a testing tone to her voice. “Why do all of this? Surely it’s a problem for the Earthblood elves to solve and not for us to meddle in?”

“Isn’t it why UXaC exists and I’m here now?” Francis replied calmly. “We’ve left things alone for so long, now look at where we are because of our ignorance.” Marie nodded in agreement. “It’s only natural to want to help others and we should if we want to move forward and make through things together. In truth, I wanted to try and help these two Orders out for a while, but I had to focus on Lux Aurea. Now, I’m forced to play along and juggle two problems at once. I wonder where I will find the solution to this?”

Ezran noticed how Marie shifted closer to them. “Well, you still have time. You can figure this out and then give yourself a break.”

“No,” Francis said surprisingly sternly and sharply. It surprised them both. “I absolutely have to make sure the Sun Forge gets sorted out as soon as possible.” He said with a look as fixated as that statement was. Ezran could gather the hints of obsession, peeking through the shadow on his face.

No matter how much Ezran didn’t want this to end, he couldn’t help but feel his eyelids grow heavier. His head slowly lowered down and he was barely keeping his back straight. It didn’t help that his chin met Francis’s hair, which felt immeasurably soft. “And by the way, you are still not asleep?” Francis scolded lightly.

“Nope.” Ezran replied innocently and dreamy.

Francis chuckled lightly. “I really thought our conversation would bore you enough that you would go to sleep.”

“Nothing that ever comes out of your mouth is ever boring.” Ezran said honestly.

Francis spoke his next words very quietly. “I guess that’s a parenting fail for me then.”

“What?” Ezran genuinely didn’t hear what he said.

“No, nothing.” Francis replied quickly. “Be more boring, I got you.”

Then everything fell into silence. Amongst the blizzard of thinking that was going on in their heads, he could just about feel the great big warm smiles of Francis and Marie, which felt a little bit more than just a simple happy gleeful smile. There was something more to that, but Ezran was too exhausted to perceive it. He fell asleep right on top of Francis’s head and when he woke up, it was a new day and he was snugly lying in his sleeping mat. His head was overrun with thoughts that he got from the conversation last night. There was one thing that he had to do, but only when he knew that he was ready. He still had a promise to make.

* * *

Helmi Planes were right at the centre of the Far Reaches and the closest tribal settlement to the Sea of Castout and the Forest of Unicorns that covered its shores in the South. Francis visited the place many times before and he knew full well of the very interesting ways these kind of Earthblood elves went about greeting others. They were interesting people for sure, but somehow the complete opposite of the usually reserved and ‘traditional’ floral kind of Earthblood elves. Experiencing it was… well, quite an event. He hoped that Ezran’s experience wouldn’t get dampened from the last time he visited an Earthblood settlement. Honestly he was really hoping that he didn’t get traumatised by all of it, but it seemed that he was doing as fine as he could be.

They were getting closer – the lonely rocks were becoming more and more common among the great golden-orange steppe. He turned around and spoke to the whole of UXaC. “Listen carefully,” he began. “You must remain calm and follow my instructions or those that were passed down to your commanders from me. Every single one of you is to remain standing where you are and not do or say anything, unless I tell you to.” He turned to his friends. “This includes you too. Let me be at the centre of attention for them before we are able to proceed.”

“I heard that they were a tough crowd, but are they that hostile?” Janai asked.

“No,” Francis shook his head. “It’s just they like to judge and scrutinise a lot and are also not particularly trusting of outsiders. So first impression matter a lot with these lot.” He saw a bit of nervous tension coming from his friends, the recent events at Drakewood’s Hall coming to mind to them. Unfortunately for all of them, there was no way Francis could put it lightly. “Starting from now.”

When his friends understood, he turned back outwards and took a step into the steppe. Ignoring the bizarre and sneering expressions he was going to inevitably get, he formed a fist and hit it loudly against his chest once. He made a series of guttural cries in quick succession of varied length: short, long, long, short; short; short, long; long, short, long, short; short. Amongst the Geo Tribe it was the signal of peaceful intentions. He had to learn that before he went through it the first time, because trying to escape from well disguised guards when there was only the vastness of the steppe around you was a lost cause.

He heard another guttural cry beside him, making everyone behind him jump. It was a long and very clear one, shortly followed by the beat of drums in the distance. They were welcomed. Although there were hundreds of grey rocks with mossy spots visible around the planes, only several of them within their immediate vicinity moved and stood up, revealing that those were disguised Earthblood elves. These warriors were dense and bulky, hence why they passed off as simple rocks earlier. “The army stays behind.” One of them said.

“It is a peaceful delegation, after all.” Francis remarked. “With the amount of troops you have around right now, were you expecting an attack?”

The elf snorted, but he didn’t reply. “Welcome to Helmi Planes.” He simply said, as he stepped aside and Francis politely nodded to him.

 _Boom-ta-ta! Boom-ta-ta! Boom-ta-ta!_ Francis led his friends towards the growing earth quaking sound of the drums, which were always being sounded whenever they had a guest. Cheering and shouting came from the habitants of the small sheltered structures made out of earth, that led underground. Out of small mole-like hills Earthblood elves poured out, dusted in mud, getting a break from their strenuous mining work. People banged against their chest in rhythm with the drums and crowded around them, forming a line straight to a circle of rocks, where all of the meetings took place.

He and his friends remained calm amongst this den of noise, although he could feel the growing uneasiness from some of his friends, especially Marie. He felt a little sorry for her, but she went ahead anyway. He remembered being extremely nervous when he hid his identity underneath the hood of his cloak. For now, he needed to remain focused, stoic and calm on this upcoming meeting. Just like last time, no one could even get an inkling that he was nervous or uncertain. They needed to recognise his mettle, so that he would never be messed with.

They reached a circular area, formed by vertical rocks acting as some sort of pillars and creating a place where Consul Terry did all of his counselling and management of Geo Tribe. The excited crowd ran to take its place around it on the outside. He signalled for his friends to standby at the entrance. This procedure needed to be done alone. Well… ‘procedure’ was an inaccurate way of describing it – ‘show’ was a much better one. Geo Tribe just loved when things were a spectacle.

The crowd quietened down and the ground in the middle began to rumble. From beneath it Consul Terry rose out with his arms outstretched as he spun to take in the crowd that was chanting his name. He was a bulky and dense, but muscly, Earthblood elf with rock grey skin and moss growing on his bare chest and arms. The only thing he had on his arms was an emerald cladded padding that ran from his elbow to his wrist. It had a string going from one side of the padding at his wrist to the other by going up and around the padding on his elbow section. It was the Geo Tribe’s symbol of leadership. He had a green tattoo on his forehead, above his bushy dark green eyebrows and below a pair of very thick upwards arching horns that crowned his bald scalp. That pair of horns always reminded Francis of a ram. His brown-green shorts revealed his gigantic calves and feet. To add to his muscly and dense body he was also a towering beast, making him easily able to protrude over anyone in this world. In fact he was at least two, probably two and a half times bigger and taller than Francis.

He finally paid attention to the guests he had and Francis was once again reminded of the weird accent Terry had, where he constantly rolled his ‘r’s. “May we not for-r-rget our-r-r past as we str-r-rive to keep balance in life.” His voice, buzzing, slightly deep and throaty, projected and echoed around the stone circles, magnifying his already overbearing presence even further. _Yeah! Woohoo!_ The crowd hadn’t stopped cheering all this time.

“Consul Terry,” Francis crossed his arms, placing his knuckles on his shoulders, and nodded his head forward. “We, the representatives of UXaC and its Grand Army, stand humbly before you.”

 _Hooray!_ The crowd accepted them.

“Oh come on Fr-r-rancis,” Terry crushed him in a hug, giving him a few slaps on the back. “I hadn’t even intr-r-roduced myself because you know me as it is. You’r-r-re not in Dr-r-rakewood’s Hall with those bimbos. What br-r-rings you to us again?”

Francis was just about not physically sick from this friendly pretence. All just to keep the show up. “Queen Abelone sent me here.” He cut straight to the point.

The whole crowd went silent instantaneously. Terry chuckled. “What does she want fr-r-rom us so badly that she would use an annoying woodpecker-r-r like you?”

“She had assassins show up at her doorsteps, all Earthblood elves from the Geo Tribe.” Francis ignored the condescending tone.

“That means she’s alive. Such a shame.” Terry said sarcastically.

“I had a feeling that you didn’t send them,” he continued. “But the fact you just said that means you definitely hadn’t. You don’t have the guts to say something serious like that to me of all people, Terry.”

The crowd burst out booing and jeering at that. Terry’s jaw clenched and he raised his fist to silence them, getting the desired result at once. “You have quite a lot of guts to not be r-r-refer-r-ring to me by my title.”

It was Francis’s turn to chuckle. “May I remind you that you are the one who dropped the title first.”

There were hushed murmurs around them. Terry broke his friendly pretence and let his true animosity and scepticism surface. “What title do you have, human? It’s meaningless if you ar-r-re not in the Human lands.”

Francis smirked. “New Dragonguard Francis.” The crowd gasped at that. At least in their internal struggle they still haven’t forgotten the word Dragonguard and that there was a Dragon Queen ruling Eastern Xadia.

Terry scoffed and willed a stone platform that raised him further up. Considering he was already towering over Francis at least twice over, this was a little bit unnecessary, but he did it anyways. Maybe he tried to show dominance over him that way to others. The fact that he had to do that was already showing an insecurity, but some could be fooled. _Two can play that game._ Francis continued smirking.

“Well, Fr-r-rancis, you’r-r-re her-r-re to pester-r-r me again about your-r-r UXaC thing and meddle with our-r-r lives?” Terry asked, looking down condescendingly as well.

The crowd’s intrigued eyes were on Francis. Thankfully, they respected their opponents enough to give them a chance to speak, especially if you made a positive first impression on them. He simply put his hands behind him and casually turned his back to Terry, taking a step towards his friends. He pointedly made sure that his eyes darted around the crowd that circled them on the outside. “No, that would be a waste of my and your time. I’ve already said everything here before and none of it has changed. I intend to achieve showcasing its obvious usefulness another way.” Francis began to walk in circles around Terry, looking at the crowd and coming across like he was talking to them rather than Terry. “In truth, I was forced by Queen Abelone to come here, under the threat that she will attack my innocent brothers-in-arms at the Grand Army.” The crowd jeered at that, calling her a ‘coward’ and a ‘disgrace of a leader’. After all, brotherhood was one of the most sacred things for them, regardless if they were Geo Tribe or Order of Druids. How they forgot about the latter fact was beyond him.

Terry laughed. “Ah, so the gr-r-reat Her-r-ro of The Battle at The Stor-r-rm Spir-r-re bowed down to the wooden head that is Queen Abelone, after-r-r he wanted to meddle into other-r-r people’s pr-r-roblems? Ar-r-ren’t you attempting to fix that for-r-rge thing of the fier-r-ry hothead elves over-r-r ther-r-re?”

Francis knew that everyone around him were carefully studying, listening and analysing his every single movement and action, even down to his diction. He couldn’t show a weakness and he couldn’t take Terry’s bait. He had to be above that. “An unfortunate restriction, yes,” he admitted without fear and without reacting to his comments. “But it’s only a small obstacle that doesn’t stop me or UXaC from trying to bridge the gap in relations between different factions, including humans and elves, and try to solve the issues that are prevalent in our world.”

“Ther-r-re is no evidence to base your-r-r claim that this will wor-r-rk!” Terry shouted down. “It will fail because it has no histor-r-ry, because it doesn’t have anything to follow! It’s against the pr-r-rincipals and tenets that have r-r-ruled the wor-r-rld for-r-r many millennia!”

Francis shook his head as he looked at the crowd he was walking past. “Sometimes success in life doesn’t come from following logic or bowing down to beliefs and tenets, but fighting against those things. It’s why people forging their own path are almost always more notable and successful than those who only follow trends of others in its entirety.”

“Natur-r-re doesn’t accept abnor-r-rmalities,” Terry argued. “Ever-r-rything follows a pr-r-rinciple and a r-r-rule.”

 _Your unnatural accent sure exists in this world._ Francis jabbed, but held his tongue and kept his tact up, despite the temptation. However, there was his opening and he needed to use his opportunity! He turned to him for the first time. “Tell me then, Terry, is it within principle to turn on your fellow brothers?”

Terry narrowed his eyes. “What ar-r-re you tr-r-rying to get at?”

“Just answer my question.” Francis told him sternly.

“No.” Terry submitted.

“So you wouldn’t kill Rex Terra?” Francis continued.

The whole crowd flinched at those words. “We would never-r-r ever-r-r do that no matter-r-r what!” Terry exclaimed. “That’s…”

Francis cut him off. “Why?” Terry stared at him as if he had grown a second head... so did the whole crowd. “Indulge me, please. My friends who don’t know enough about your kind want to hear you say it.”

The crowd seemed to relax a little, but Terry gave a side-eyed glance at his friends. “We wer-r-re like br-r-rother-r-rs!” He replied. “We tr-r-rusted each other-r-r and we could never-r-r betr-r-ray that!”

Francis resumed walking around in circles with his hands behind his back. “Earthblood elves place a great importance on brotherhood, then?”

“Yes.” Terry grumbled impatiently.

Francis continued the logic. “So then the Order of Druids also place the same importance, correct?”

“I suppose so.” Terry replied reluctantly, amongst the grumbling and disapproving crowd.

“So tell me, why would they kill Rex Terra?” Francis pointedly looked at Terry. The crowd wasn’t jeering this time at the mention of their rivals. They were in pensive silence.

“They betr-r-rayed and abandoned the br-r-rother-r-rhood!” Terry stated. “They’ve upset the balance!”

“And you are absolutely sure that they did it, right?”

“Of cour-r-rse, who else could?” Terry asked, looking very sure of himself. “The whole assassination scheme is just an excuse for-r-r them to attack us. They dr-r-rained R-R-Rex Ter-r-ra’s magic and ar-r-re mor-r-re power-r-rful than us, thr-r-reatening to wipe us out.” The crowd made sure that they were agreeing with Terry there.

Francis smiled confidently. “If that’s the case, have you ever thought about why you are still at a stalemate?”

Terry stuttered and the whole crowd also went silent. “T-They…”

Francis decided to nail another point at the same time. “I wonder. How would they know that they could drain the power unless you’ve done it before or saw someone do it?”

“Silence!” Terry commanded. He finally had enough and Francis was sure that he wanted to prevent the crowd from realising that it wasn’t so obvious who killed Rex Terra. “It could only have been them and that’s final!”

He really did try to move on from that, but Francis wasn’t going to let him off the hook that easily. “You are so fixated on protecting your own people, that you somehow forgot to consider the position of your supposed enemy?” He called him out.

“Oh,” Terry looked at him intrigued. “Do you per-r-rhaps know the actual killer-r-r?”

He stopped moving right in front of his friends and he looked at them, his eyes hovering around Marie’s and Ezran’s attentive faces. He remembered the conversation they had last night. He really wanted to bluff, knowing that they would be too stubborn to listen to reason and instead wanted only hard cold evidence… and yet he couldn’t bring himself to lie. After all, his suspect was imprisoned for the past three hundred years. He turned decisively to face Terry. “I have a candidate.”

“That’s not good enough!” He shut him down and the crowd jeered. “I’m not listening!”

Francis remained standing straight not budging from his stance he held ever since the start of this debate. He had to try. “But this will help solve your problem. That’s why UXaC is here! Together we can solve this!”

Terry burst out laughing and the crowd imitated him. “Do you actually think that we will join with your-r-r pals over-r-r ther-r-re?” He pointed at them derisively. As the crowd went a little hushed from shock, Francis knew what was coming. Those were comments that would leave him no choice but to go full out against Terry, giving him a reason to instigate something. For the audience, brotherhood was a sacred topic and if you conceded anything, brotherhood was a topic you never conceded in front of them. “They may be Her-r-roes, but it is too funny that you made those young accidents into a gr-r-roup to lead the whole of UXaC.”

“They defended the Dragon Prince and they can hold their own!” Francis said very sternly and passionately. “Callum became the first human Primal Mage and he has now also learned the Moon Arcanum! Rayla has earned the nickname of The Last Dragonguard for her services in The Battle! They are more than capable and it is certainly not a one-off!”

“They ar-r-re not up to snuff!” Terry looked like he was enjoying the fact that he found where to attack him. It made Francis genuinely annoyed that he didn’t use that jab about his accent earlier. “They have fought, but they have no idea about the r-r-real caveats of leader-r-rship and they look like any pr-r-ressur-r-re could cr-r-rush them like a tiny bug! Let’s talk about that failur-r-re of a human mage.” He pressured. “Seeing you go so pr-r-roud over-r-r a boy who is useless in anything other-r-r than casting thr-r-ree spells is r-r-ridiculous!”

Francis felt a spike in auras around him, as anger profusely boiled in someone… but it wasn’t Callum; it was Rayla. When he gave a quick peek over his shoulders, Marie was doing her best to hold her back. He raised his fist to remind them to stay composed. “You have a lot of nerve to blatantly attack my friends like that.” Francis calmly pointed out, despite the righteous anger that was ablaze inside him. “I’m warning you not to push it.”

Terry looked unfazed as he went on, looking too pleased to be doing this. “But of cour-r-rse, that assassin gir-r-rl,” he began to laugh maniacally. “How can she call her-r-rself an assassin when she killed no one in her-r-r life? All she could do was push that human leader-r-r at The Battle and let the fall kill him. That’s a dishonour-r-ring joke for-r-r a Moonshadow assassin, I say.” It was Callum’s turn to be held back by Ibis, Ezran and Janai. Despite the insidious remarks, this had signalled some hope for them and their future in Francis’s eyes.

He stomped his foot, letting the echo magnify its thunderous clap. “If you have a problem with me, then you say it to my face and refer only to me.” He said sternly, his tone dangerously growing like a blizzard. “You don’t dare to talk to my friends like that!”

Terry gave him a condescending look. “How can you even call your-r-rself a war-r-rior-r-r when you haven’t even killed anyone!”

Francis felt a shadow grow scarily black on his face, that he thought it would swallow him whole. He worried that apart from Ezran, the whole world was seeing it too. He took a deep breath. “Unlike you, Terry, I’ve been through a brutal bloodcurdling battle. I have seen things worse than death or killing someone – I’ve seen it on the whole scale, done senselessly and in mass numbers.”

Terry narrowed his eyes at him and went on smugly. “Histor-r-ry is wr-r-ritten by the winner-r-rs and I am a winner-r-r. Ar-r-re you, Fr-r-rancis?” Francis felt the crowd, as well as Ibis and Janai, go still around him. They all knew what those words signified. “Do you believe in your-r-r assembled team and the cause?” The Leader’s Challenge was thrown.

“Fully.” Francis accepted it. The crowd gasped and devolved into chaotic screaming and shouting. Even if he showed them before that he knew the culture very well, just like Silvergrove, they still weren’t used to seeing a human participate in it. He probably was the first one as well.

“What? Francis, no!” Ibis and Janai shouted over the crowd.

Terry clasped his hands together and rubbed his palms. “Ho, ho! You do know what that means, r-r-right?”

“I’m perfectly aware.” Francis replied curtly.

Rayla looked around and was the only one not too stunned by the reaction around her to ask a question. “What’s going on? Why are you so…”

Terry who was standing with his hands on his hips, cut her off. “Leader-r-rs ar-r-re always supposed to staunchly defend their-r-r beliefs and the gr-r-round on which they stand on… to their-r-r last br-r-reath.”

“It means that it is an honourable duel of fighting skill to the death!” Francis explained.

“No! You can’t do that! Let me fight on your behalf!” Rayla and Marie both said at the same time, simultaneously trying to reach out to him whilst holding the other one back.

“The Leader-r-r’s Challenge only challenges the leader-r-r.” Terry pointed out. “Or-r-r ar-r-re you too daft to under-r-rstand that?”

Terry snapped his fingers and with that, Francis heard the rock wall grow behind him and push back against the entrance, flinging the rest of his team backwards. He felt the ground inside the circular area shake as he saw the rocky pillars rise… no, on the contrary, the platform was sinking into the ground, forming an arena. The space between the pillars was given a barrier and the crowd leant against it, with some people climbing over each other and standing on top of the vertical pillars. They began to chant, albeit a little less lively than before.

 _Boom-boom-ta-ta! Boom-boom-ta-ta! Boom-boom-ta-ta!_ The earth quaking drums began to accompany the upcoming Challenge. It was just him and Terry on the same level… and he was a pretty big guy. His mind grumbled at those circumstances, but worse was yet to come. He saw Terry flex his hands and crack some knuckles, as well as warm up his neck. He then took a knee and put a fist across his chest, whilst with the other hand he drew a light green glowing rune with many straight lines akin to a wall or fortress. It made Francis’s eyes go wide. He hadn’t forgotten that Terry wasn’t just a warrior, but also a Mage… but The Leader’s Challenge was supposed to solely display the swordsmanship level of the fighters.

“ _Tellur-r-ris For-r-rtitudinem_.” Terry uttered, whilst remaining in that stance, and the rune entered his body. His arms and feet grew, nearly doubling in size.

 _Oh, that’s a big guy._ Francis was shocked, exasperated and displeased, remembering his painful training days at a Geo Tribe settlement. Not very fun times were ahead of him. Since when was magic allowed during duels that relied solely on the fighting skill of the participants? The crowd was certainly split over that fact. To make matters worse, his shoulders also grew as his back went bigger and rounder. If before he looked like a huge rock, then now he looked like an oversized boulder. He was three times Francis’s size right now!

“Oh, that’s a really big guy,” Francis slipped up, but at least he whispered. “Seriously? You are that scared of me that not only you’re using your Earthblood Primal to buff you up, but you’re also accompanying it with a proper stance to enhance it? I think I’m honoured, but it’s also like you want me dead or something.” He quipped.

Terry sniggered. “It’s a par-r-rt of my fighting style. It is unbecoming of the Challenge to go easy on your-r-r opponent.” He took his mace from behind his back, took a wider stance and bent his knees, before drawing another rune. This time there were several dots encircling a single straight line. “ _Petr-r-ra Lapsum_.” Chunks of hardened ground and rocks levitated around Terry and began to circle around his back. Now the jeers and booing were a little more heard, albeit still a little hesitant and held back.

“Of course you would cheat as well.” Francis cursed under his breath, remaining entirely calm and collected on the outside. He was in no rush to unsheathe his sword. He first needed to figure out a way to come out on top in this very unfair encounter. His mind thought at the speed of light. “This is a fight of swordsmanship! Using magic shouldn’t be allowed and it never was part of your tradition, your history!”

“Did you for-r-rget that histor-r-ry is wr-r-ritten by the winner-r-rs?” He spoke with an ever growing malicious smile on his face, as some of the levitating rocks magnetised and remained on his back as backup so that Francis could be caught out. “Do you know that winner-r-rs also wr-r-rite the r-r-rules?”

“Perfectly well.” Francis replied unfazed. He did use that trick before, in another duel no less. His brain suddenly clicked: was there something within the rules of the challenge that enabled him to win the encounter without necessarily overpowering his opponent? Regardless of the culture, some rules of fighting overlapped. “But really, how is that fair?” He continued to buy time for himself. “How about we do this honourably?”

Terry burst out laughing again, menacingly slapping the long wooden grip of the mace against his palm. “This isn’t about honour-r-r or-r-r fair-r-rness; this is about winning!”

Francis tried his best not to let his eyes, that were fixated on that grip, give away his finding. He had his fighting strategy sorted out. “Funny you should mention that,” Francis sneered as his hand went behind his head. “Someone gave me that exact same reply, before ending up on the losing side anyway.” He unsheathed and raised his sword to his eye level, as he went into a stance.

Terry’s face went stone cold. “Do me a favour-r-r and at least make this inter-r-resting.” He extended his arm and rocks began to fling at Francis. He elegantly dodged and used his sword with great precision. “R-r-run, Fr-r-rancis, r-r-run. Keep r-r-running boy, keep dancing.” Terry moved onto his backup.

A combination of dodges, with minimal movement against the hardened ground and using his sword to block the rocks, made sure that he was unscathed and coping fine for now. Each time he avoided a hit, he could feel the crowd hold their breath in anticipation, amongst the protests against the use of magic. These Challenges, and any events that the Geo Tribe had, were always carried out in chaotic noise.

However what he heard and felt most acutely were the worried gasps and nervous twitches of his friends, who were too in the moment to shout any words of encouragement. Poor Ezran even found it hard to look. In all honesty he didn’t need any words from them. Knowing that they were there, gave him all the strength and resilience he needed. If he was to survive this, then he had to force his opponent to come to him… and he certainly had to survive; he couldn’t fail.

When the rocks ran out, Terry stomped the ground readying himself for the charge. “I said make this inter-r-resting!” He roared and sprinted at him with his horns pointing right at Francis’s stomach. _Boom-boom!_ His feet stomped heavily.

Francis wasn’t taking any chances and he jumped out of the way of that rush. He heard Terry smack into the wall behind him, but when he turned around, Terry was already on top of him, completely unfazed from rushing into a wall. Terry’s mace was coming down and Francis just about managed to dive and roll under his arm and through his legs, cutting his right calf in the process. Terry might have hissed a little, but he certainly didn’t even stumble. Francis needed him to stumble right there and then to give him some breathing space. So he jumped at his side with both of his feet forward and propelled himself off of him to the side.

As he did that, his body went tense. He barely made him stumble and it wasn’t enough. He was running out of options on how to stop him; nothing hurt him. Close quarters combat was suicide against a guy who clearly overpowered him. One headbutt from Terry and it would be pretty much Francis’s funeral and he certainly didn’t have a death wish – he was crazy, but not mad. Ranged weapons and magic would do it, but he didn’t have the former and the latter was technically not allowed… but Terry technically already broke that at the start… was it fair game to use it then?

As he was on his knees, the mace was already coming down. Francis managed to block and hold the attack, standing up into it with his sword. His blade dug into the wooden grip a little. He immediately dived out of the way of the punch Terry threw, but it just about caught his heals and he crashed into the ground. He heard the crowd wince and his friends squirm as a result, exclaiming a resounding and collective ‘oof’. He had no time to rest; he felt a huge mace breathing down his back. He rolled out of the way and felt the ground shake, as the mace sunk into the ground next to him. He kicked at his hand, simultaneously cutting at the grip of his mace. It was getting there bit by bit.

He rolled backwards but clearly not far enough. He felt Terry’s foot kick him like a ball against his side sending him flying towards a wall. It was already painful enough, but at least he didn’t have to get to know the wall better, because there wouldn’t be getting up from that during this fight.

He got to his feet, heavily panting and holding his side. He saw his friends stare in horror at what happened and in utter disbelief that he still got up from that. He could feel their worry and compassion strengthen his resolve and numb his pain, as he readied himself for another attack from Terry. Instead his jaw nearly dropped when he saw that Terry was standing sideways and his knees were perpendicular to the ground, as he drew another light green rune, ignoring the now growing jeering and booing.

Like previously, it was a single line encircled by dots, only this time those dots were bigger. “ _Petr-r-ra Lapsum Maximus._ ” Two stone slabs grew from the ground and were at either side of his arms, unsurprisingly targeted at him.

“This too?! Give me a break! Are you also trying to kill my soul, while you’re at it?!” He said it more seriously rather than a simple quip. Terry didn’t reply as he extended his arm and the first slab went flying at him. He jumped out of the way but right into the path of the other. He thanked his quick reflexes in that moment, as he was able to dive back to where he stood previously to avoid the second one. The crowd was buzzing at the showcase of his reactions.

As Francis got up to start running at him, Terry managed to summon two more stone slabs, only this time he was going to send them flying at the same time, as he extended both of his arms. _You have to be kidding me! What more do you want?_ Without a moment to spare, he turned around and ran at the wall. Moments went by extremely slowly for him, as he ran up that wall and jumped off of it over the incoming slabs. He spun in the air and landed on his feet, feeling the dust from the slabs crumble around him. He wasn’t known for his agility, but he certainly was known for pulling through in unexpected ways when it mattered. He heard the whole crowd cheer and applaud this time. He managed to pull off a back flip, which used to be Rayla’s pride over him!

However he had not time to celebrate or relax, as he turned to Terry who looked completely dumbstruck. “You throw another slab at me and I’m going to lose it!” Francis let the whole world know of his anger and irritation.

During Terry’s stupor, he noticed that the mace’s grip was visibly worse, as it was nearly cut halfway through. Somehow Terry still hadn’t noticed it, but it wouldn’t be long until he would and as a result, he needed to act as quickly as possible. It was either now or never. What he came up with was extremely risky and terrifying… he was crazy, but he was certainly not mad.

He stood sideways with his feet just wider the width of his shoulders, as he bent his knees and lowered himself, leaning slightly forward, into a defensive stance – The Last Stand. He let out a thunderous battle cry making everyone in the crowd fall into admiring silence.

That silence was sharply cut with Terry’s sneering. “R-R-Really? You think that will help you? You’ve got no chance!”

Francis didn’t move a muscle. “I disagree. I like those odds.”

Terry scoffed and rushed him head on without delay. _Boom-boom!_

As the stomping approached him, he focused entirely on the mace’s grip.

 _Boom-boom!_ Terry was over half way.

He had to land this one strike!

 _Boom-boom!_ Terry was right in front of him and his mace was coming down.

Francis put his whole might into this block right at the damaged area. The sword went through… and it stopped. Francis was stunned. His sword didn’t cut the last quarter of the grip, revealing a black-grey material that was mixed with the wood inside it. It may have been wooden on the outside, but it was strengthened by the sturdy minerals inside it.

He felt Terry’s hand grab him and lift him off the ground. As he was thrashed around, he did his best to cut at the hand that was holding him, but all in vain. His fingers crushed around him, forcing him to give out a cry, before he was thrown to the side and he met the hard cold wall of the battle arena. He wasn’t sure whether he hit the floor harder than he hit the wall, but in any case he was too hurt to immediately get up… and if he couldn’t do that, then the Challenge would be over and he was as good as dead.

When he looked up, he saw the triumphant and booming stride of Terry looming over him. Amidst the deafening jeering and boing, he saw that his friends were just about prevented from jumping over the barriers, as they thrashed their hands against it in protest. He tried to get up, but his body physically couldn’t. It was in too much pain, as he panted heavily. His cape draped protectively over him.

Terry’s mace was finally raised above its user and was hovering over Francis’s head. “You may be one of the best fighter-r-rs among this wor-r-rld, but I have magic and me using that negates anything you can do.” Terry gloated, sensing Francis’s impending doom. But just as his eyes glistened in anticipation, his face immediately fell, as he heard what the crowd were screaming at him.

“He’s one of the Heroes! He won’t die beneath us!”

“He fought honourably, whilst you relied solely on magic!”

“He deserves to live!”

“You should have faced your opponent on equal grounds!”

Feeling very pressured and annoyed, Terry raised his fist to silence the crowd. They fell into one, but it took quite a while before they did that. “Fine! As you wish! I will r-r-raise the gr-r-round back up.”

He waved his hands to command the ground to return into the circular area and coincidentally his buffing spell ran out, as he shrunk back into his normal size.

Holding onto his sword and still unable to get up, Francis looked to the side where his friends were. They were trying to climb over the barrier to try and stop Terry, but there was no way they had enough time to do that, just like he didn’t have enough time to recover. There was only one thing left to do.

“Francis! The Primal! P-Please!” He couldn’t hear Ezran, but he read his quivering lips. He had been thinking about it for a while… and he wasn’t going to lie down there and take it as if it was fair and square. He hated to break the rules, but if the situation required it, then he would. Right now, he had no choice but to use it.

As the mace came down, he put his hand up in defence and made a sheet of ice that covered him. The ice itself looked a little divided beneath the outer layer like he was. It took the full force of the impact, as the mace’s spikes poked through it far too easily… but it stopped it. Francis made the sheet quickly expand outwards, hurling Terry off his feet. He heard an earth shattering thump, followed by a deafening silence outside.

When he made the ice collapse around him, he saw the stunned crowd, Terry to one side recovering from the unexpected magic spell… and the mace to the other. He crawled on his knees as fast he could, but considering that Terry wasn’t even sitting up, he wouldn’t have to hurry. When he reached the mace, he was able to stand, albeit not straight. With a quick swing he broke through the grip, splitting it in half.

“Without a weapon, you cannot fight and you automatically lose.” Francis announced, still panting heavily. Terry only grumbled in silence, as he was defeatedly slumped on the floor. “The way you verbally attacked my friends, you were no better than Queen Abelone.” The crowd nodded in bitter silence. “Since someone told me that the winners rewrite the rules,” he continued. “It’s only fair that after you used magic and then I was forced to use magic in retaliation, that I leave you alive.” He didn’t wait for his reply, not that he was going to get it anyway. The crowd remained silently accepting of his judgement. He turned around to walk towards his friends. Callum, Marie, Ezran and Rayla all rushed to him, overjoyed at his success. Despite Rayla being the quickest, Ezran managed to get there first as his hands hugged him and threatened to never let go. Ibis and Janai also made their way over to him, letting the quartet congratulate him first. They were all smiling and relieved about this whole Challenge, almost looking like they were there fighting with him.

Ezran let go of him as he straightened up and his glance fell to the next person in line, which happened to be Rayla… and her eyes were astronomically wide and her body was incredibly tense. “Over-r-ruled.” He heard behind him. As Francis turned around, he saw Terry’s arm with his emerald cladded padding targeting him. He immediately extended his arms to shield his friends behind him. He saw a bolt shoot out from the padding, but before it ever reached him, he saw a glimpse of lunar white hair fly past him.

Immediately he felt a sharp pain in his right shoulder, as his hand shot up to it… but when it did, there was nothing there. He was left dumbfounded, because he definitely felt like he was hit with a crossbow bolt… until he questioned if it was his own pain he was feeling. With the Ice Arcanum still raw and untrained was he feeling the very sharp pain of someone very dear to him through his bond to her?

The crowd gasped and some immediately broke into the circular area, some of them to apprehend and hold down Terry, others to go over to Rayla. Marie was already over her body, as her face grimaced in pain. The bolt was sticking out of her right shoulder, as Francis looked over her in horror.

He felt the shadow completely take over his face as he gritted his teeth in blistering cold fury. His mind and body went almost completely numb and out of control, as he shouted in anger. He stormed over to Terry, who was on his knees and whose hands were held in place by at least four Earthblood elves. He gripped his sword and raised it over his head… but he didn’t let it come down immediately.

He panted and groaned in anger, as a sinister shadow shrouded his face. This was unforgivable! What Terry had done was disgraceful and cowardly for any leader! He had to be discharged from his position!

He let out another scream as his sword quickly headed downwards to skewer Terry’s body. _How can you? Who are you to do that? Is that how you want to redeem yourself for your mistakes? Is that how you want to be seen?_ His sword sunk into the ground right next to Terry. “I still wouldn’t!” He announced. He breathed heavily, as the shadow lifted from his face. “I can’t; I won’t!” He sheathed his sword and turned to the rest of the crowd, as he had their full attention. “Remember this for the rest of your lives! If you want to move forwards and heal a broken down relationship, then the first step is forgiveness and compassion! All of you around me would do well to remember that!”

Submerged in total echoing silence, he began to walk back to help tend the injured Rayla, but about halfway through he froze on the spot. Callum was standing still with his eyes shut tight and his fists clenched into a bone-white colour. Blood droplets trickled from his palms where his nails pierced the skin – he was absolutely numb. Francis was very afraid of what was happening inside that boy’s head. Did he not realise that she was alive?

“You spineless coward!” Callum shouted at Terry and opened his enraged eyes, making the elves who held him run away, him paralysed in fear… and even making Francis flinch internally. A strong wind suddenly picked up, as Callum’s hair stood up straight. The wind turned into gales that created a hurricane around him, making Francis’s cape thrash around as a result. Rainbow coloured lightning bolts sparked around from him into his surroundings, jumping mostly into the ground. “You killed her and I will kill you!” He directed his hand right at Terry and the bolt just about missed him, hitting the ground in front of him and leaving a dense black smoke coming from it.

“No, Callum, stop!” Francis went in to intercept him, but not before he let another lightning bolt go off. This time it hit Terry and made him squirm and twitch uncontrollably on the ground. Before Callum could do anything else that would finish Terry off, Francis grabbed hold of him. The excess electricity ran straight through his body, making him shake uncontrollably. Despite him being electrocuted and beginning to smell the singed hair, he held onto Callum, as he tried to escape his grip.

“Let me go!” Callum protested.

He didn’t; he gripped him tighter. “Callum, stop!”

“He deserves it! He hurt you!” Callum’s voice was shaking.

He held him closer, as his knees buckled involuntary. “Callum, you’re hurting me!”

“He lied! He hurt her! He… k… killed…” he could feel Callum slowly tearing up.

He was grunting through gritted teeth but he was still hugging him tightly. “Callum, she’s alive.” He told him as calmly and as reassuringly as he could whilst being electrocuted. Callum breathed quickly and heavily. “Rayla is alive. You still have a ground to stand on.”

The electrocutions slowly became more manageable, as they simply tingled him and then by the end disappeared. Callum’s breathing seemed to steady, but Francis’s body still twitched sometimes and his shirt felt wet around his chest where Callum’s head rested. As soon as this outburst of magic stopped, Callum pulled away and ran over to Rayla.

Whilst Ezran, Ibis and Janai stood worriedly behind them, Marie alongside an Earthblood elf doctor were carefully treating Rayla. Francis rued the fact that they didn’t have any Sunfire Mages who had Healing Light among them, but at least he knew for certain that Marie was more than capable of providing first aid. Having carefully extracted the bolt, Marie and the doctor were now extracting its metal tip.

“Will she be alright?” Callum asked, grabbing hold of Rayla’s hand from the uninjured side. Her demeanour and expression seemed to relax a bit, but her face remained grimacing in pain. Francis anxiously stood over them, holding tightly onto his family’s crest on his chest – a sky blue heater shield with red edges and a golden letter G inside it. The shadow on his face flickered on and off, as he fiddled with the badge.

“She will survive for now,” the Earthblood doctor replied, easing his shadow.

“We aren’t sure if the bolt has broken any bones around her shoulder.” Marie pointed out, as she washed the wound. “But our first priority is to make sure that this heals as quickly as possible and that it doesn’t get infected.”

“What do we need to do?” Callum took Francis’s words right out of his mouth.

“She needs Amethyst Asters.” Marie told them.

“The nearest ones are a day and a half away in the Forest of Unicorns.” The doctor said.

“Make it one day,” Francis said authoritatively. “We are leaving with immediate effect.” He picked Rayla up, ignoring the ache that his body gave out. He was in huge debt.

The doctor placed his hand on Francis’s shoulder, stopping him. “I’m sorry about what happened.”

“Me too,” Francis replied. “Just please think carefully about everything that happened today. _Actually_ think and consider everything rationally. It might save many people and not solely yourselves.”

“We will.” The doctor replied. “This day will be remembered by history.”

“For the better future, I hope.” Francis concluded and quickly walked out with his team. At the moment, history was at the back of his mind and Rayla in his arms mattered more than anything in the world. Considering the raw overwhelming emotions he could feel from Callum, the exact thought must have been running in Callum’s head, as he walked closely beside him and watched over Rayla.

He heard that obnoxious maniac laugh at the back of his head. _Histor-r-ry is wr-r-ritten by the winner-r-rs._

 _Yeah, but at what cost did we just win?_ Francis replied bitterly.

* * *

A small boat sailed slowly against the icy cold early morning breeze, sending shivers down Viren’s back. He stood at the boat’s nose looking forward towards his destination… even if it was of no use. The thick grim fog that covered the sea made it impossible to see very far. It made Viren feel as if he was gliding in some other worldly existence… or maybe some inner projection, considering how messed up and split he felt.

In the boat with him were Truna and Cara, who, despite him trying his best to discourage them, wouldn’t let him go on this journey alone. At least they would leave him and return to the Moon Meadows when they reached the South shores. Besides, Cara was a better sailor than him, so it wasn’t terrible that they came with him. Apparently she taught herself how to be a swimmer this way and thus needed the boat from practicing in deep waters and some sailing sense for navigating it.

The icy breeze felt so strong today, that probably the whole of Xadia could feel it, as if they were shockwaves from an event… and he was heading right towards the epicentre. When Head Varian returned to the Moon Meadows, he announced that UXaC and Francis were heading towards the Far Reaches and Viren immediately prepared for his departure. He told Cara and Truna that he needed to go to Francis to help him find the person he was looking for, which was only part of the truth. He couldn’t tell them the other two truths.

When he discovered those coins he had, he was brutally reminded of what he had done and who he really was. No matter how hard he tried to act differently, he couldn’t escape or forget the dark past that was following him. He may have been different now, but he couldn’t forget who he was before all of this. In this entire world that would remember him as a villain, there was only one person who wouldn’t kill him from the outset. He needed to free those elves that were trapped in the coins and return them to Francis, before the inevitable had to happen. After all those years his shortcuts and creative solutions finally caught up with him and he was going to pay the price for it… just like his friend Harrow told him it would. It only took him two years to finally understand what his best friend meant all along. That day when he would face his mistakes and be forced to pay for his actions was coming… and he could only hope that his children didn’t have to pay for his mistakes as well, especially Claudia who was walking along the same slippery path he chose a long time ago. He had to prevent her from tumbling down like he had, no matter the cost.

Before they set sail the previous day, they heard the stunning news (at least for all the elves, since he didn’t know anything) of the Leader’s Challenge that took place at Helmi Planes and that UXaC and its Grand Army were heading Northwest towards the Forest of Unicorns. It made their destination all the more clearer. They barely talked, because he hated small talk and he certainly didn’t want to tell them of his past, since Dark Magic fully tainted it. He only tried making conversation once, when he asked the name of the sea they were travelling on. As soon as they told him, he fell silent and closed himself completely. Sea of Castout – an ironically fitting name for who he was now. He didn’t know the history of the name, but it couldn’t have been anything good… and did it really matter?

The fog was still thick around him and they didn’t notice how close the shore was, until the bottom of the boat scraped against it. “Well, we have to be here.” Cara pointed out the obvious. “Since everything around the coast of the Forest of Unicorns are high cliffs, there is only one place to disembark in the South.”

“Thank you.” He was quick to jump out of the boat. “I really appreciate your help, but I have to move on my own from now on.” He saw their understanding and saddened expressions and it made him a little uncomfortable. He really wasn’t good at farewells. “I guess this is goodbye then.” He uttered, suddenly seeing Truna’s eyes go a little narrower.

Cara bowed her head. “We are so glad to have met you. You showed us and the rest of the Moon Meadows that Francis isn’t the only good human in this world and that we really misunderstood them all this time.”

His body flinched. He hated the fact that they made him out to be better than who he really was. His past would probably be dumbfounded at that, asking: since when did he care? Well, he did now. “Please, don’t say that.” He said. “I don’t deserve any of this.”

“What makes you say that?” Cara asked, looking taken aback.

“I’m not who you think you are.” He turned around, intending to walk away, but he didn’t. “Well, Viren,” Truna spoke, stopping him in his tracks. There wasn’t any hint of animosity in her voice. “We are back to this question: who are you really?”

He took a very deep breath. “I’m not a very good person.”

“That seems hardly the case from your time at the Moon Meadows.” Truna pointed out.

“You helped us with a few of our errands.” Cara agreed.

“You talked to our citizens, disproving certain stereotypes.” Truna said.

“And highlighted what makes your kind special and unique!” Cara added.

Truna nodded. “You continued to instil wonder and curiosity within us.”

“I still don’t deserve any of it.” He sighed. “I’m a failure. Through my blindness, I’ve lost everything without even realising it. I only have myself to blame for letting everyone down.”

“Viren, what did you do?” Cara asked.

“Viren is a name that wouldn’t go down well in history.” He said bitterly.

Cara shook her head. “Why?”

“Because I am the one who led the human armies in The Battle at The Storm Spire.” He announced gravely. “What I have done is unforgivable and I will not beg for forgiveness. I wanted to protect humanity, but all I ended up doing more and more was serving my selfish needs… and all for nothing. I intend to return to Francis, find my daughter and then give myself up as a prisoner. That is my final intention from all of this.” The silence was deafening and crushing. “I am sorry that you found out the truth that way, but I couldn’t leave you in the dark and pretend that I was who you thought I was, but in reality never could have been.”

“I had a feeling,” Truna said.

“You… you did?” Viren asked.

“She’s the one with the brains.” Cara pointed out. “She even told me about that possibility, but I refused to believe it.”

“And yet you still helped me and kept me as a guest?” Viren looked over his shoulder.

“Just because of the evil you have done, doesn’t mean that you don’t deserve any help at all.” Truna decreed. “Especially when now you have good intentions.”

“We share that notion with Francis.” Cara stated.

“What you’ve done is not easily forgivable.” Truna said.

“But just because it is not forgivable, doesn’t mean you can’t partially redeem yourself.” Cara remarked.

“There is nothing in the living world that will save me,” he shook his head. “The only thing that can still be saved is my daughter.” He determinedly looked into the forest.

He heard Truna heavily sigh behind him. “If I may give you some advice, but I think you’ve realised it by now, that some people will be out for your blood. Since I am a Moonshadow Mage, I can only express it in the way of my Arcanum.” Viren dignified her with a look, as he faced her. “Our Primal revolves around the cycle of life and death. Is that cycle untouchable? We are famed for our assassins after all. You will have to choose your actions carefully, for they can save the lives of those who bear ill will against you… and maybe you will be accepted as a changed man. Keep that in mind, as you go out to rescue your daughter… and maybe you’ll rescue and help more than just her.” Truna gave him a small smile and nodded her head.

“Good luck with whatever awaits you, Viren.” Cara said her farewell. “You may believe otherwise, but you can and have become a good person.” She nodded.

He returned the smile to them, even if it didn’t fully reach his eyes, and nodded back in gratitude for their kind words and farewell. Cara pushed the boat back out into the sea, with the icy wind in their sails now. He stared long after them, even when they disappeared into the fog.

* * *

“Rodolfo, it worked – UXaC went to Helmi Planes.”

“A sacrifice for the brotherhood is a worthy sacrifice.” Aaravos replied through the physical projection of his Earthblood persona.

“Their Moonshadow assassin was injured and they are headed towards the Forest of Unicorns.” The Earthblood elf reported.

 _Just like the stars predicted._ Aaravos smiled. _You won’t change your fates this time, Francis and Rayla. In time, I always have my way._ “He won’t be able to get out of this one.” He said.

Everything was going according to plan. He knew Francis wouldn’t dare to sacrifice with the lives of his soldiers and as a result he was coming right towards him, hoping that he would actually be able to stop this schism. Francis had only one hope and that was finding him… and there was no way Francis would even know that he had a physical projection in this world. Once he would realise that, it would be too late. Francis would already be in his hands.

It was a shame for him to see Francis try and stop something that he had no chance of stopping. Two factions. Two armies facing off each other. One task – to stop the confrontation. A task Aaravos faced before and one he thought was impossible for a third party to prevent from happening. He didn’t want the two armies to collide, as he stood in between humans and elves with the Sea of Castout behind him. But after they failed to listen to him, when they did not hear his words, he stepped aside and let it happen. They weren’t worth saving; they weren’t worth the trouble. Instead, those who survived through strife always came out stronger and hopefully wiser from their action. He knew from that moment on that instilling order and fear was the only way to lead others over a long period of time. Those who resisted or wanted to express themselves were selfish and had no business being led or being part of the team. They were a means to an end and nothing ever changed that in the eyes of the enlightened leaders. It was a shame that Tidebound Archdragon Queen did not see it that way and he was never able to get close to her since.

“Rodolfo, there is one more thing.” The Earthblood elf went on. “Something very… unusual happened.”

“Oh,” Aaravos tilted his head. He was not expecting anything else, so what could this be? “Do entertain me.”

“There was a human who conjured up ice.”

“Ice?” Aaravos shrugged his shoulders. “Must be that mage who knows the Sky Arcanum.”

“Rodolfo, he didn’t chant any spells.”

Aaravos furrowed his brow. “None at all.”

“Our brothers at the Helmi Plane are calling it a new Primal! The Ice Primal!”

“How very interesting.” Aaravos mused. If that was true, then it could be of great use to him. “Truly, this is intriguing.”

“One more thing,” the Earthblood elf added. “Our brothers have an issue with the human girl you brought.”

“Her name is Claudia and she is imperative to this.” Aaravos said sternly, glowering at him.

“We are here to preserve history and our nature and stop the inconsiderate, materialistic and wasteful humans from ever getting into Xadia and draining its nature.” The Earthblood elf reasoned. “It kind of defeats the point when you have a human within our camp.”

“That’s only if you look at it at the surface level.” Aaravos went on calmly. “When one doesn’t want a path forward or a certain outcome, it is not uncommon that they would side even with an enemy if it meant stopping that path and that outcome. You don’t even have to look too far – our rebel team has both Orders amongst their ranks. She wants the same thing as us and when we capture UXaC’s leader and force it to disband, she will be gone.”

“But how can she…?”

“Perhaps you don’t understand what I’m saying?” Aaravos’s tone grew more dangerous. It was enough to fear him into submission.

“No, I do, I do. I will let our brothers know that there is no problem with that.”

“Good,” Aaravos nodded and faced away from him. The Earthblood elf was about to leave, but Aaravos stopped him. “I’ve got a task for you.”

“Yes, Rodolfo.”

“I need you to immediately assemble the quickest, most agile and gritty members of our rebellion into a team of six and send them to me, so that I can brief them on how they are going to kidnap that human mage with the so-called Ice Primal.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so everything is slowly starting to come together for the finale of the first part of the story. Although I enjoyed writing this chapter a lot, you can tell that I went in on the whole Helmi Planes paragraph (it's all one paragraph with over 7k words!). I absolutely loved imagining and describing the settlement of Helmi Plane and their lively inhabitants and I hope you enjoyed it too (fun fact, those guttural cries earlier in the chapter were morse code)! I know that Terry is going to be an actual character in the show, but I decided to take a bit of a different approach with him (hopefully reading his 'accent' wasn't too painful and you didn't misread words that weren't spoken by him in his accent, like I did a couple of times when rereading everything).  
> Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it! Next Saturday we see the aftermath of the Challenge and see what is going to happen in the Forest of Unicorns!


	8. The Weight of Responsibility

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “When one has a connection to someone or something else, it is natural to feel that our actions, feelings and stances can affect others through that connection. It is however important that through that connection you avoid the danger of mistaking others’ issues for your own.”

When Francis said it would only take a day, he made sure it took only a day. He did not spare any time nor did he go easy on anyone, especially on himself. With the morning rain pelting down his back and wings, Callum flew right above Rayla’s steed. By her sides, with his wings extending above them, she was kept up by Marie and Francis who both kept a close watch over her as well, with Francis often looking back over his shoulder. Ezran was also there on Francis’s horse, hiding under his cape from the rain.

Callum’s sights were trained on Rayla: her every single move, breath and state. His ears were attentive to the conversation that happened right below him, but he especially listened out for her voice. It didn’t sound well.

Francis put up his hand to her forehead. “Rayla, you are too warm. You have a fever.”

“No, it’s quite alright,” an unhealthy strain present in her voice, as she barely could keep her back straight. “It’s normal to be this warm for an elf.”

“Francis, push her over to me.” Marie said and Francis lightly nudged Rayla in the other direction. She flopped way too easily for someone who was exceptionally well coordinated. Marie was changing bandages and cleaning her wound as they moved along. Callum needed only one look and even without a trained medical eye he could see that the wound was getting worse. It was very red and pus was trickling out of it. “It’s infected.” Marie concluded. Those words pierced his entire body like a dagger. She immediately looked up at him, as if she was aware of the growing heaviness inside him. “Callum, once we get the asters she will recover very quickly and she will be safe. I promise.”

“How?” Callum uttered. “How do they even work?”

“We’ll make a salve out of it that will get rid of her infection,” Marie responded quickly, sounding very knowledgeable. “The amethyst crystals will reinforce any broken bones or fractures she has and will then form a protective clot over the entire wound, healing it.”

“Amethyst Asters have regenerative properties.” Francis explained.

“If it’s such a good flower, then why do we not have it?” Callum asked angrily.

“Honestly, it’s a massive oversight that we do not have any Sun Mages with the Healing Light. I should have insisted to Janai that at least one of them comes with us, because they don’t need all of them to attempt to fix the Sun Forge since we’ve already established that it somehow resists their magic. ” Francis replied, looking very disappointed with himself. Callum noticed how his fingers were fiddling with his badge on his chest. “The problem with these asters is that they are not exactly the most common flowers.”

“You have to know where to look.” Marie said, her eyes suddenly glancing away from them.

“That will be too long!” Callum exclaimed. “She needs help as quickly as possible!”

He noticed Francis give another musing look over his shoulder… at the soldiers behind him. “I know what you’re thinking, Francis.” Ibis, who was flying to his left where the rest of the party was, told him. “You can’t just ditch the Grand Army and go ahead without looking back. Don’t forget that we are on a mission here, you need to be with them.”

“Ibis,” that was a voice Callum hadn’t recognised immediately, but it seemed to have made Francis a little tense. It was that commander and quartermaster, Archibald. “His friend is in pain.”

“More than one, actually.” Francis corrected. “We have to get there as quickly as possible!”

“I’m not arguing against that,” Ibis stated. “You just can’t leave the army behind!”

“I-I’ll go,” Marie interjected, before Francis said something back. There was an air of obvious hesitancy and nervousness creeping into her voice. All heads turned to her and she seemed to have grown small under their spotlighting eyes. “I… I know…”

“You know where to look.” Francis helped her finish the sentence.

“Yes.”

Francis nodded. “Go ahead, find the asters. We’ll look over her.” She did not waste any time, as she galloped away in a flash, leaving Francis to make sure that Rayla wouldn’t fall over from her horse.

She looked paler than usual, the fever was getting worse and Callum was just about not totally losing it. His heart ached every single time Rayla shivered… and she shivered uncontrollably. Everything else did not matter, but her and only her. He couldn’t dare to be angry at her anymore and the hole around his chest felt less bigger now… or at least less obvious. All he could feel was distress, as he wished that he could magically take some, if not all of Rayla’s pain.

“You’re not going… to blame yourself… are you, Francis?” Rayla muttered leaning heavily against Francis’s shoulder. He didn’t reply, making Callum wonder what was going through his head. He did look tellingly tense, as he continued to grasp his badge tightly. “By the way… what was that… ice thing you did?”

“Right now is not the time to talk about this.” Francis told her. “I’ll tell you about it later.”

“Francis,” Callum heard Ezran’s voice from underneath his cape. “Please don’t…”

“Ezran,” Francis cut him off. “Responsibility of leaders lies in others. That bolt was meant for me and it’s pointless to state otherwise.”

“But…”

“Ezran.” Francis repeated his name, with a more earnest and admonishing tone. Ezran fell obediently silent.

Callum even shivered from the ice cold aura that Francis was emanating. It was scary when he got this determined, making him wonder if others felt the same when he lost his cool at the Helmi Planes. His eyes immediately returned to Rayla, who seemed to be going in and out of consciousness. That familiar anger returned, but not at Rayla. They were travelling too slow and she was burning up!

“Callum,” he heard Francis talk to him. “Marie still needs to find the Amethyst Asters, so we should give her time.”

“How do you even know that that was what I was thinking about?” Callum asked him, that anger now present in his voice.

“I can feel that you are angry.” Francis replied.

“How?”

“Your face twitched, your mouth is small and your brow is lower.” Francis replied and Callum didn’t say anything back, because he was totally right. “Stay focused. Marie is one of the most reliable people around and she won’t let us down. It’s why I made her an apprentice to the New Dragonguard in the first place; it’s why she’s here.”

“This is still too slow.” Callum argued.

“You got used to the steppe and you are worried about Rayla’s health, which is why you aren’t lifting your head up.” Francis replied. “But if you did, you would’ve noticed that we are approaching the forest.”

Callum looked up for the first time during the entire time he spent flying. Before him he saw a forest in the distance and he was dumbstruck at the sight of it, almost forgetting to fly. At first he thought that he was seeing snow in the distance, but that was actually the forest’s foliage. Unicorns were almost extinct and he only read legends about them and most of them described that the unicorns were of predominantly white colour… unfortunately that didn’t save them from the Dark Mages who came for them to use them as spell parts. Perhaps on any other day he would have considered this a nice winter festive welcome, but right now in combination with Francis it felt like a cold one.

When they got nearer, he could discern the thick barked trees that were wider than some towers in Katolis. They were surrounded by those gigantic trees and tall shrubbery, as they protruded over them… and feverish Rayla. She was mumbling something, resting entirely on Francis’s shoulder. It made him look at her with a very concerned pair of eyes.

“Don’t you dare say things like that!” Callum heard Francis tell her and then he extended his arm to her in alarm. “Hold on!”

“C-Callum? It’s you who is… supposed to hold onto me.” She muttered, as she struggled to keep her head up. Callum shared the alarming look with Francis. It certainly didn’t bode well if she started to bring up memories… as if life flashed before her very eyes. “Maybe… I should’ve held you tighter… all this time.” Those words nearly made him plummet into the ground, as his heart sunk.

“Marcos!” Francis called him over and he quickly fell close. “I need three men to set up a tent and a bunk for her at the first field straight ahead from here.” Francis ordered Marcos. “Go right this instant!”

“I’ll help.” Archibald volunteered.

“We won’t be able to set it up before you arrive.” Marcos pointed out.

“Well, you better set up a tent and as quickly as possible!” Francis was adamant, his voice growing colder and angrier. “It’s not just your life that depends on it!”

Marcos knew better than to argue back and together with Archibald and one other soldier, they galloped ahead. Despite that, Francis’s demeanour hadn’t softened. His eyes were darting, as if thoughts, ideas and calculations materialised in front of him. Callum felt his powerful glance on him, making him a little nervous as to why he was.

When they arrived at the designated field, the tent was still not up… it wasn’t even close. Before Francis had even got a chance to say anything, Callum was already ireful. “Why is it still not up?!”

“We’re not magicians here.” Marcos defended calmly. “We can’t just make a tent out of thin air.”

“Aren’t you a Moon Mage, Callum?” Francis asked, as he carried Rayla.

Callum immediately realised what that question meant. He knew what he was looking for… and yet Callum hesitated. It never worked flawlessly before. They always flickered and weren’t fully physical. “I… I am, but…”

“I don’t want any excuses.” Francis cut him off. “Consider who needs you right now; who’s life you’re focusing on.”

“But I’m not sure if…”

“I don’t care!” Callum squirmed from the growing apoplectic blizzard that was Francis right now. “Just do it.” He was right. Callum had to try. Rayla’s life was at stake.

Callum took a deep breath and picked a clear spot in front of him. He imagined what an infirmary tent would look like. He then concentrated entirely on Rayla. How she needed help and how her health was in danger. How he was the one who could help her and provide temporary shelter. Slowly, step-by-step, he saw his infirmary tent appear before him. It looked real… very, very real. It didn’t flicker, it wasn’t transparent. He pulled off an illusion spell!

“You three, keep working over there and don’t you dare slow down!” Francis called out and without wasting any time, he stepped into the tent. Callum followed after him, with Ezran quietly behind him. “Callum, you’re responsible for water.” He told him, as he carefully placed Rayla on the raised bunk, as if she was the most fragile thing in the world. Callum certainly looked at her like she was the most fragile thing in the world.

“Wait!” Archibald’s voice came out from outside the tent. His hand extended into it, holding a brown leather bag, but it seemed like he didn’t dare to pop his head in. “Some extra medical supplies our army has. I want to help, but…”

“Set that tent up first, then you can help.” Francis told him, but even in his angriest moments he couldn’t forget his tactful ways. “Thank you for the medical bag.”

Callum carefully wiped away the sweat from Rayla’s forehead, as he gave her some water. She barely seemed to recognise what was going on, as the fever seemed so bad, that it made him sweat as well. At the same time, Francis was undressing her soaked yellow and red bandages, exposing her red skin. His face was in full concentration mode, as his eyebrows furrowed and his eyes intensely screwed on her wound.

“Don’t worry, Rayla, we got you.” Francis told her, as he continuously washed her wound. Callum grabbed hold of her hand and squeezed it, but he didn’t feel her squeeze his back. If she did, then he didn’t register it. “It’s all on Marie now.” Francis continued.

“Will… will she… help me?” Rayla mumbled.

“Of course,” Callum replied before Francis could.

“How… would you know?” She mumbled again, her eyes slowly closing.

Francis wiped the sweat away from her forehead. “Because I trust her. She is smart and very kind, so kind that she would not find it in her to refuse to help someone. So kind that she wouldn’t ask anything in return.”

“But aren’t the flowers… rare?” Rayla sounded like she was half asleep.

“Uncommon,” Francis corrected her. “But she will find it, I know it. I can rely on her in anything. She’ll pull through. We just have to wait.”

And so they waited, as no one said anything for a while. It even stopped raining outside. Several things cut the silence occasionally. Callum would give water for Rayla to drink and for Francis to continue washing her wound. Ezran may have remained quiet all this time, but he plaintively glanced between him, Francis and Rayla. It was a look which cut the silence any time he felt Ezran’s eyes on him, for they spoke louder than words ever could. It was probably a feeling everyone else shared. Francis on the other hand dissolved into the background, becoming invisible as his eyes were simultaneously focused on Rayla’s wound, but also unfocused like he was reflecting and thinking again. Whenever he budged to wash her wounds, his grand posture projected his hellbent determination. However, all this time he hadn’t stopped fidgeting with his badge.

After a while in dreary and grave silence, Rayla’s eyelids fluttered open. She blinked a couple of times and then she mumbled. “Is it night time already?”

“No, Rayla, we’re just inside a tent.” Francis replied.

“Why… do I see… the full moon and the stars?” She asked, raising a few eyebrows in the tent. “Look, there is Garlath’s Fists of Revolution.” She tried to lift her hand, but clearly was too feverish to be able to.

Callum looked up at the product of his illusion that still was holding up strong. No one really paid attention to the tent, since everyone was laser-focused on Rayla. Inside of the tent, one side started with a Katolis red until it slowly transfused into a teal on the other side… exactly the colour that Rayla’s outfit was. The very top of the tent, where the two colours met, was a nightly black. There were small white dots that looked like they glowed a little, but no one could say for sure, since there was a big white circle that shone brightly, giving enough light to give a lunar illumination to the tent.

“I’ve been meaning to ask: is this what you think an infirmary tent looks like?” Francis mocked Callum lightly, perhaps trying to lighten the mood a little and make it easier on others. Of course, he would notice a small detail like that during these stressful situations. “An interesting mixture of Katolis and Moonshadow touches you have there,” he added. Callum noticed him glance between his arms and the bunk. “And is that your Mage Wings runes I see on the side of the bunk?” They were – three white runes drawn on either side of the bed.

“They are in that one!” Callum heard someone outside exclaim urgently.

“That’s her.” Francis announced, looking very sure.

And it was. She rushed in, practically flew into the tent, holding the Amethyst Asters in her hand. They were just like normal asters, but these glistened, as they had bits of amethyst dust and crystals in its petals. The aster’s centre was also yellow, but it looked like inside it there was some sort of viscous liquid.

All eyes were on Marie. Without even communicating verbally, Francis pulled out a pestle and a mortar out of Archibald’s medical bag and handed it over to Marie, who took it quickly and wordlessly. She immediately began to crush the asters. Before she even gave a sign, Francis already poured in a little bit of water and she nodded in gratitude. Like a well-oiled machine, he then fetched her a small vial of a colourless liquid that hissed when she added a few drops to the mixture, creating amethyst coloured vapours.

She crushed and mixed meticulously, yet she seemed to shake a little. Her hand movement felt more hesitant and her eyes looked more and more nervous… but then all of that disappeared as soon as Francis put his big hand on her shoulder. She immediately looked more composed. When she looked at him and he gave her a reassuring nod, she became calmer and her posture exuded the same confidence Francis’s disposition was.

Finally she poured the amethyst coloured mixture into a measuring cup and took it carefully into her hands. “Okay, Rayla, listen carefully.” She said and Callum’s heart suddenly started racing. He had an unpleasant feeling about all of this. “This might be a little painful, considering the infection and especially if you have a fractured shoulder.”

“Do you think I’m not a Moonshadow elf?” Rayla scoffed. Even when she was feverish she was still proud. “It will be a great shame, if I let a scream out and let everyone know that… aaah!” She let out a scream, not anticipating that halfway through her speech, Marie would start pouring the highly viscous mixture. It loudly hissed against her wound, as the amethyst vapours continued to go off.

Callum’s hand immediately darted and covered her mouth. He held it down until she shortly stopped screaming and instead hissed through her gritted teeth. “Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered.” He told her.

“I’m sorry,” Marie apologised. “During my studies I got told to do this when they least expect it, so that they don’t anticipate the pain and make it worse for themselves. It usually, at least initially, ends up being less painful that way.”

If it was any other day, Rayla would have said something sarcastic back to her, but in her feverish state she simply remained grimacing and silent. The mixture formed a thin protective clad over the wound, immediately taking on its form.

“Okay,” Marie sighed relief. “Everyone can relax now – it is done.”

“What now?” Callum asked impatiently, haven’t let go of Rayla’s hand all this time. She seemed to have been weakly squeezing it back now.

“Now we wait, until she recovers.” Francis said.

* * *

The recovery process seemed to have been going very well, as the asters did their job. No one left Rayla’s side, least of all Callum, who held her hand and gave her water all this time. They were even joined by another Sunfire elf healer, Solia, to make sure everything was fine. Of course, they managed to quickly get the asters and that meant that Rayla would be fine and would recover fairly quickly.

All of this… because of him. _Boom-boom._ He spared Terry… and for his kindness, she could have paid with her life. _Boom-boom._ They were lucky that she only got hit in the shoulder. The thought that his kindness nearly cost someone’s life led him back to the darkest hole in his mind. _Boom-boom._ Was he really regretting that choice? Was he actually content with killing Terry if that meant Rayla wouldn’t have got hurt? _Boom-boom._ Surely he didn’t seriously believe that? He could feel his pupils widen, as the thought shuddered his very core. It made him squeeze his badge very hard, almost sinking his nails through the shirt and into his chest.

He pushed the disturbing thoughts away, as he had a huge debt to repay and not just to Rayla, but to Callum as well… and Ezran… and Marie… everyone actually, for this change of plan that he could have prevented. Not only they weren’t making any progress on the Sun Forge, but also he hadn’t been able to figure out who sent those assassins. Even if he told Queen Abelone that it wasn’t the Geo Tribe, she still wouldn’t listen to him and would still continue to blame them. In all honesty, he didn’t actually believe that she was looking for answers. She knew that in order to stop Terry’s attacks he would have to convince that they weren’t at fault and considering how little she trusted in UXaC, there was no way she actually believed that he would succeed. So why did she send them on this wild goose chase? He suspected that something else was afoot… it had to be… but he wasn’t sure what yet.

“Francis?” Archibald’s voice broke him out of his brooding. “We’ve set the tent up, when are you going to take Rayla over to it?”

“Once she is more or less recovered.” He replied.

“Is she holding up fine?”

“Yes, yes she is.” Callum answered before he could.

“There are some more bandages, if you need them in the side pocket of the bag.” Archibald pointed out.

Francis took a deep breath. Aside from the people in the tent, there was one more person he needed to thank. “Once again, thank you, Archibald, for providing the medical supplies.”

“Of course,” he replied. “Even if it’s not for a Katolis soldier, it’s for your friend. A friend of yours is a friend of UXaC and Katolis by extension.” And he left with that.

As much as Francis owed thanks to a few other people, there was one person he absolutely had to simultaneously thank and apologise to. Rayla was the person he owed the most, as she was lying in her bunk instead of him… and he wanted to say it to her and only her. He felt Ezran’s eyes looking intensely at him again, but he ignored it. Instead he thought about how Ezran was tapping into his mind now… and he felt those eyes glance away very quickly.

“Solia and I are going to set up the medical equipment in the other tent,” Marie told them.

“I can help.” Ezran got up hastily.

“Ezran, it’s fine, there is no need.” Marie tried.

“No, I insist.” Ezran said, surreptitiously glancing at Francis.

“We’re out of water as well,” Callum pointed out. “I’ll go and get it.”

Everyone had left the tent, apart from him and Rayla. He took a deep breath. “I want to thank you,” he told her, making her head turn to face away from the ‘night sky’. “And I’m sorry that all of this happened because of me.”

Her eyes were appreciative, but she also had that characteristic sarcastic smirk on her lips. “I guess, next time it’s your turn to take a crossbow bolt to the shoulder, especially if it has your name on it. Just make sure that your inferior human strength can take it.” She chuckled lightly and he flashed a smile that was never even close to reaching his eyes. Rayla suddenly sat up, not without wobbling a little first, and looked right into them. Her face went more serious. “Francis, I recognise those eyes,” she said quietly. “You had that same look back at the Storm Spire two years ago… that panicked and afraid look.”

He guessed that his pupils must have still been a little dilated. “Why do you think I’m panicking and afraid?” He tried to deflect.

“It’s very rare you ever lose your composure like that,” she told him earnestly. “So the first time you did, it was forever etched in my memory.”

He sighed. There was no getting away from that… she was one of his best friends after all. “I am in horror at what I had just thought of.”

She regarded him. “What exactly?”

He shivered a little at a reminder and a shadow reappeared on his face. “I genuinely thought that if I could go back and change the outcome, I would have killed Terry, so that you wouldn’t get hurt.” He heard those booming noises, unsure if it was Terry’s footsteps or the beating of the drums.

“Francis,” her eyes were wide. “You said before that you would never kill, that life is the most precious thing anyone has.”

“I said unnecessarily,” he corrected. “The thing is Rayla… I have killed someone.” His lips quivered slightly, despite his voice staying even.

He remembered that moment at The Battle clear as day and how much he regretted it ever since… how it constantly sent that dark shadow of regret down his eyes, dimming his usually youthful and energised look in them. “Wrong place; wrong time.” He told Rayla how it happened, as he reflected. “Had that soldier not made that one mistake of staying with Viren, he would have been able to make a difference. He looked so young and bold and so full of energy… he could have become a hero.”

What was he becoming? How could he had even thought so calmly about taking Terry’s life? He nearly did it at the time! All of these past few years on his own, at the forefront of change and leadership, was bringing him closer and closer to those he vowed to avoid. To those people who raised themselves so far up and were so self-centred that they have thought that they were infallible gods that could simply decide anyone’s fate, completely ignoring the people way below them and around them. _Some of those_ became feared, vicious and oppressive, hated by all humans and elves. None ended well, with the most recent example of history being an elf who was behind bars for the past three hundred years… and Francis’s mistakes were leading him down that slippery slope. Those people sat at a table, patiently waiting for him with a dark smile on their faces.

If he wanted to avoid going down that path, he had to constantly stay true to himself and avoid the tempting and easy paths, whilst projecting that onto his team. He couldn’t ever think of killing someone so easily ever again. “Rayla,” he said earnestly, feeling his body go very tense. “Promise me that you will never take anyone’s life… not until you absolutely have to and never with an easy conscious, never lightly.”

She looked at him with earnest intention in her eyes, that was borderline a glare. “Okay, I promise.”

He suddenly felt easy, as he breathed a sigh of relief. Yet that guilt, that regret was still lingering; the shadow remained. He let himself down for even thinking to shy away from his standards again and by extension that meant he failed others. He wouldn’t be able to forgive himself if he did… he knew he wouldn’t. “I’m sorry that I have even thought about that.” He said out loud.

“That’s not what you should be apologising for.” Rayla said seriously. “You only owe me one apology and you clearly haven’t forgotten about it,” she gave him a glare. “For ignoring what I have asked you almost two weeks ago about someone that has to be taken out.”

Francis instantly knew what she was talking about, because he never truly ignored it. He always kept her request – her need – at the back of his head, but he never got the chance to properly deal with it… nor did he consider it a high priority, especially when compared to what he was dealing with right now. Yet, that word ‘ignoring’ did put the same knife in the same spot as it had before… and yet again, he was left very annoyed that neither of the people who used that word saw the bigger picture, saw outside of themselves. He did not utter nor did he let through a single strain of annoyance. When he got the chance, he would do everything for Rayla and help her find Viren.

Before he could say anything, he saw Rayla go tense as her ears twitched. Suddenly, he felt the ground shake beneath him and then he heard noises outside of the tent – signs of a struggle. His head spun towards the exit and it was then that he saw Solia’s head poking through it. There was panic written all over her face. “We’re under attack!” She confirmed his worst suspicions.

He saw Rayla reach behind her for her swords. “No,” he held her by her shoulders to stop her from moving any further. “You aren’t fully recovered yet.”

“But I…”

“We’re not risking you reopening that wound of yours,” he told her unconditionally. “Not to mention that it is too much of a risk to throw you this early on. Solia, help her into the other infirmary tent.”

“But she…”

“We’re under attack and I don’t like how this tent stands out when compared to the rest of them, so just do it!” He ordered her, as he rushed out of the tent.

The scene he was greeted to was the one he expected least. He saw a giant pale pink worm, commonly known as Earth Worm, sticking out of the ground, with a mage on top of it that casted down small bits of rocks at the engaging soldiers, like a slingshot. He saw five Earthblood elves fighting down at the ground level. Three of them were being fought off by General Amaya, Soren, Marcos and Archibald, who was fighting surprisingly well for a quartermaster. The last two were a little isolated to the side. Apart from the sudden intrusion of these elves, one other thing stood out – those six elves were from both the Geo Tribe and the Order of Druids. There was another thing that wasn’t right… something felt unnatural about this, giving him familiar signs that he still couldn’t fully recognise. Not to mention that they were only viciously targeting the humans of UXaC.

“Surround them and the worm immediately!” He ordered the Grand Army, who were unprepared to engage immediately and thus a little dazed from this very sudden attack. If they acted quickly, considering there were around five hundred of them, they would make easy work of these six Earthblood elves and he could find out why they attacked and what felt so off about this.

“ _Petra Lapsum Maximus._ ” He heard before he could order anything else. The mage was flinging another stone slab, the speed of which caught him off-guard. He thought of using the Ice Magic, but the natural reflexes of his legs took precedent and he just about managed to jump out of the way. He reminded himself that in order to remain at his best, he had to rely on himself and not the Primal he now possessed, unless it was an absolute necessity.

“Retreat!” He heard one of the Earthblood elves scream as he got up.

 _Already?_ He thought. They moved very quickly and precisely, before anyone could do anything and they got out of there unharmed on their Earth Worm, burrowing underground. Everyone was as equally dazed and surprised at this quick and sudden disappearance, as they were at their sudden appearance. No one really got hurt and there didn’t seemed to be another wave. In fact the attack felt very much like a deliberate pinpoint attack. All of this screamed a planned and coordinated offence… but why? No one seemed to have been missing and no one was let close to either of Rayla’s infirmary tents. _Wait,_ his heart stilled as he looked around. _Where’s the faux-tent?_ It was gone, the illusion was gone!

He looked around, his eyes growing wider and wider and his voice growing more and more desperate and panicky in his tone. “Callum!” He shouted repeatedly, running around the camp they broke. He desperately searched for him, as others began to pick up on his concern. He ran around, until he saw something that pretty much confirmed everything. Around the place where the isolated group fought, he saw a pair of knocked over flasks of water… as well as a sketchbook with its strap and his red scarf that never left his neck. The other elves were a distraction; in front of him was the actual place of the attack.

He held his head in his hands. Why would someone kidnap Callum? Who was behind this and were they connected to the assassination attempt? It was somehow his fault, he could feel it.

He started to feel a gradually enraging aura behind him. “Callum,” he heard her voice behind him. He slowly turned around. Rayla was standing outside of the tent’s entrance, with Ezran standing a little behind her. The thunderclouds around her were growing darker by the second, as her entire demeanour threw everyone around him into a panic. He knew what she was going to say next. “Where. Is. Callum?”

* * *

Ezran heard Francis shouting Callum’s name… and that could only have meant one thing. He was gone… and Rayla came to the same conclusion. She almost pushed him off when she exited the tent and she actually pushed Solia to the ground. “Where. Is. Callum?” She voiced her rhetorical question to Francis, who could only hang his head in shame, but he didn’t look least bit determined.

No, that shadow on his face returned and his entire demeanour sent chills down everyone’s back, as his hand subconsciously shot up to his badge. “Marcos,” he uttered. “Gather the leaders around – it’s an emergency meeting.” Marcos certainly did not waste time and luckily for him, most of the leaders were here already.

Aunt Amaya was burning brightly with ire, as her mouth became very small and she viciously and mercilessly punched the tree, getting a little through its bark. She however was done with that quickly, as she went over to Francis. She got up right to him, as she began to sign something to him. Although Ezran couldn’t see her fingers, since he was behind her, he could determine a clear angry tone, which was fully delivered by her choppy and sharp movements. Francis did not flinch, as he simply raised his hands and calmly signed: “ _I will take care of it myself. I need you to stay here and help a certain someone in my absence._ ” Aunt Amaya nodded and went to stand behind Ezran.

Rayla had not grown any less angrier during this time, but Ezran felt that with that anger a hint of bitter sorrow also resided. “I’m going after them.” She said unceremoniously and unreservedly and went back to her infirmary tent to gather her supplies.

“Wait, I can’t let you go.” Ezran heard Solia’s voice and he immediately grew smaller, when he felt Francis’s shadow grow taller.

“Don’t you dare to try and stop her, if you know what’s good for you!” He told her in an eerily quiet tone that was threatening, yet with closed eyes as if holding back his ice cold fury in order to make his request sound like advice.

“She is not fully healed yet.” Solia argued back, foolishly so.

“She will do as she sees fit at this current time.” Francis grew colder and more dangerous, as his brow furrowed.

She didn’t catch his warning, as Ezran braced himself. “I can’t allow that, she has not recovered!”

“I order you to stand down and that is my final warning!” Francis shouted at her, making her look tiny under his wolfish and small eyes. The trees around the forest aided in echoing his rattling and furious voice, making it sound like he wasn’t alone. The dark shadow was peering through on his face.

Solia stood down, trembling in fear. With the forest’s colour pallet, if it was not for the summer heat, one could think it was the most vicious month of winter right now. Despite Aunt Amaya holding his shoulder in reassurance, Ezran himself felt dwarfish under Francis’s growing and protruding fury. Those eyes… he didn’t need a spell to make himself look physically big, like Terry. He could do it just like that with his eyes alone… and a simple change of tone in his voice could rattle anyone, no matter how comfortable they felt before.

Everyone was a little too anxious to break the silence and tell Francis that everyone was present… but with his Arcanum he could feel it. He turned around and after a slight twitch in his head his expression became stoic once again. However, Ezran didn’t feel at ease, not just because he felt like Francis was still very emotional, but because he _knew_ that Francis was emotional. As he stood there – calmly, indomitably and unwaveringly – facing the people at the meeting, Ezran could feel a flurry of emotions emanating from him – pain, distress, guilt, determination, faith all rolled into one. He may have been stoic on the outside, but deep within him he had them suppressed, as he put them aside and focused on standing firmly and calmly amidst the tragedy and chaos that took place mere minutes ago… all for his friends.

“I’ve come to a decision that is not up for a discussion.” He decreed to the emergency meeting. “As a leader I’m responsible for my followers and today I have failed more than just one of them. I have failed you all.”

“Francis,” Janai said. “We know your intentions and no one knew that this would happen. You must continue strongly, because we will continue supporting you.”

“I’m afraid it’s not that easy.” Francis replied, with a hint of sorrow. “What just happened is a personal attack that I have failed to prevent once again. This isn’t just about UXaC anymore. I cannot go on with my cause like I have been, when those around me are getting hurt – that would be unforgivably selfish of me.”

No one liked the tone in his voice, least of all Ezran, who just wanted to tell him to stop blaming himself, yet he knew that he still wouldn’t, because there was some truth to his words. “Francis, what are you planning to do? What is the meaning of those words?” Ibis voiced the question on everyone’s lips. He wasn’t abandoning his cause, was he? It was a horrifying idea that passed in Ezran’s head, but he knew that Francis was far too resilient and stubborn to do it so quickly. After all, he didn’t know the meaning of the word ‘give up’.

Francis didn’t reply. He instead closed his eyes, as if he was listening to something or concentrating on someone. “Rayla,” he called out, without looking over his shoulder. Ezran saw that she was indeed behind him, having finished packing her stuff up from the tent. She was decisively walking away, but she froze in place as soon as he spoke. “I think you might want to have this with you.” He raised his hand, revealing Callum’s sketchbook and scarf. She turned around and very lightly approached him to take the items from him. When she did approach him and her hand was on the sketchbook, Francis grabbed her extended forearm. “I implore you that you wait.” He told her.

“I’m going after them and I’m going to rescue Callum, if it’s the last thing I do.” She said adamantly, breaking free of his grip and putting on the items. She grimaced slightly from the scarf, it must have smelled unpleasantly, since it was practically a body part of Callum at this point even in the summer… he might as well have been born with it. “I’m not holding myself back anymore, I already listened to you instead of myself about Viren. I don’t care what my departure means for UXaC, I need to do this and I can’t ignore my needs.” She turned around and was about to sprint away.

“I wasn’t going to hold you back anyway. I’m going with you and we’re going to find the ones who did this.” He said firmly. She stood still.

“What?” Ibis and Janai voiced the overall surprise of everyone that gathered. Rayla also stared at him over her shoulder. He was going to leave UXaC, when they were facing such a big crisis: both a schism and a potential world threat? It felt so unlike him to abandon responsibility, but Ezran felt he wouldn’t do that lightly nor was it possible to stay on top of everything on his own. Was he once again thinking a few steps ahead (if he already wasn’t a few steps ahead of others) and he had already thought of something? Was he sensing something afoot? Was he onto something? Perhaps he chose to find Callum, one of his best friends, while someone would be able to help him in his absence?

“I-I’m going as well.” Ezran heard Marie’s voice, as she stepped up, making everyone turn their shocked expressions towards her. She was desperately breaking through her hesitancy despite the spotlight she was in right now.

Francis regarded her, but he didn’t remain pensively silent for long. “Are you sure?” He asked her.

She was shifting a little under everyone’s eyes, but when Francis looked at her, she straightened as if she was regaining her composure. She continued bravely as she spoke evenly. “I may not be part of the New Dragonguard yet, but I cannot abandon a fellow member of UXaC and the New Dragonguard. Not to mention that they have a lot of nerve to blatantly attack our friend like that. A good leader will staunchly defend the ground he stands on, but it doesn’t mean that he has to do that on his own. In fact, it would be a disservice if we abandon him.”

With a small, but proud smile that tugged at his lips, Francis was convinced. “Then it’s us three.” Ezran felt that Francis had a surge of resolve and confidence, even if it was already high before.

The slightly stunned silence was interrupted by someone clearing their throat. “If I may, I want to go as well.” Archibald suddenly piped up.

“Archibald, a chase party of three is quite enough.” Francis replied.

“I insist.” Archibald said rather staunchly.

“Archibald,” Gren translated Aunt Amaya’s signs. “You always stayed at the HQ; you always stayed with the army. Why does that have to change now?”

Archibald looked a little taken aback by those words and he didn’t give an immediate answer. “It’s not all the time you get to go on a mission with Francis.” He finally said, sounding a little unconvincing. “Besides, his friend got kidnapped… it’s just not right!”

“General Amaya is right.” Francis agreed. “A quartermaster can’t ever leave his position unattended. Besides, as I said, three is quite enough for a chasing party.”

“Please, I urge you to reconsider it!” Archibald was almost begging.

“Out of the question,” Aunt Amaya said through Gren. “Your job is to stay with the army and thus I order you to do so.” Archibald looked very unhappy about it and despite still having a bit of determination in him, it was clear that there was no changing Amaya’s nor Francis’s minds.

“Francis, you can’t be serious about leaving.” Janai spoke with a glare.

“What is so wrong about what I just said?” Francis challenged.

“All well and good, Francis, but you haven’t forgotten that you are with UXaC.” Ibis pointed out. “We need to return to the Drakewood’s Hall and inform them that the real threat is not the Geo Tribe, but some third party.”

“They’ll need evidence, you know how stubborn they are.” Francis disagreed.

“You have Callum’s kidnapping as evidence!” Ibis argued back.

“Yeah, but no clue as to who is behind it,” Francis remained headstrong. “And that won’t be enough for it.”

“Regardless, as a leader you need to stay with UXaC for this important mission during these tough times.” Janai said.

“I never said that I am leaving UXaC.” Francis disagreed.

“I meant more physically,” Janai continued. “We can’t have your strong charismatic presence depart us.”

Francis pointed his finger. “I’m responsible for the safety of my friends and this is an extenuating reason!”

“We need someone in charge!” Ibis reiterated.

Francis was unfazed. “If that’s the case then I will appoint someone to temporarily lead UXaC in my absence.”

“Argh, there is no point in arguing with you.” Ibis folded his arms.

“Have you only realised that just now?” Francis asked, a little cynically. “Tell me, Bird Boy, do I ever in a serious situation do things like these on a whim?”

“Fine,” Ibis groaned. “Who is your replacement?”

“There is only one person who would be able to do this.” He said honestly, as he locked eyes with him. He had a reassuring touch to his eyes. “That person is Ezran.”

Ezran would have taken a step backwards, if his aunt wasn’t behind him. He flinched when his name got mentioned, but then he jolted as he felt Aunt Amaya’s hand squeeze him a little too hard in surprise. “ _Aren’t you putting a little too much responsibility on his shoulders?”_ She signed. _“He may be the king of Katolis, but don’t forget how difficult of a task it is to lead an organisation of UXaC’s size. And then there is the difference in age and experience between you and him! There has to be a more suitable candidate than him!_ ”

“I was fairly certain that one of the rules that you outlined was that the leader has to be part of the New Dragonguard and also not in any major positions of leadership from any of the factions.” Ibis remarked. “I’m afraid King Ezran breaks those rules.”

“Firstly, the whole of the New Dragonguard is absent.” Francis went on calmly. “Secondly, do you trust me?” He asked. No one said a thing, as everyone just looked at each other in a bit of stupor. “Rhetorical question – of course you do.” Francis went on. “You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t. I trust in Ezran and his ability as a leader, so should you.”

“He is just ten, you can’t make him in charge.” Ibis argued. “It is utterly ridiculous!”

“I’ve done far more ridiculous things in my life.” Francis disagreed. “And if I had the ability to read someone’s mind, I wouldn’t be forced to do such ridiculous things.” Feeling the odd specificity of those words, Ezran looked up at him. He saw Francis quickly wink at him, his stoic expression momentarily replaced by his great characteristic warmth. Did he really think that he was up to the task? Francis continued talking to the rest of them. “All I ask of you is that you do as I request and listen to Ezran when he’s in charge. He can do this.”

“I guess you made up your mind and you aren’t budging.” Janai crossed her arms.

“We wouldn’t be here if that was the case and it’s not like you are different when it comes to Lux Aurea.” Francis smirked. “If everyone had their way, then everything would have been just a massive meaningless pile of chaotic undefined nothingness.”

“ _I still don’t see why it has to be my nephew, but I trust you, Rayla and Marie, fully with rescuing Callum, whilst I will support Ezran._ ” His Aunt signed. “ _I know you won’t fail._ ”

Ibis desisted. “Fine, we’ll do as you ask.”

“Good, thank you.” Francis replied. “Whatever Ezran says – goes. Do we understand each other?” Everyone nodded in silence. “Marie, prepare your backpack, we’re leaving as soon as you are ready. Ezran, I want to talk to you about something privately.”

“Okay,” he obeyed as he took him to the side, despite feeling confused and overwhelmed.

They went behind a tree and Francis took a knee in front of him to be eye level with him. “You got all of that?”

Ezran shook his head. “Do you really think that I should be the one to lead in your absence?”

Francis didn’t even blink. “Of course.”

“Why do you want me to do this?” Ezran asked. “I struggled to lead my kingdom, my people.”

“Yes and this time you won’t be leading them.” Francis replied calmly.

“Yeah, this time I’ll have the fate of the whole world!” Ezran argued.

“No, that’s wrong.” Francis was calm. “The fate of everything as a whole still lies with me. You are simply deciding what’s the right thing to do and nothing more.”

“There is no way I can make the decisions like you do.” He said, looking away from Francis’s hand that touched his shoulder.

Francis gripped it a little tighter to make him look back at him. “Of course you can’t and you will never be able to, because you’re not Francis. You are Ezran, King of Katolis, son of Harrow, half-brother of Callum and a best friend to me, Marie and Rayla. It’s down to you and what you stand for. It doesn’t matter what I or anyone else did beforehand. Your voice is what matters right now. It’s who you are and what you believe in.”

“But I’m not exactly sure what kind of king I want to be for Katolis.” He hung his head. “I haven’t been able to do much as a king. Why choose me to lead UXaC?”

Francis readied himself with a deep breath, but his reply was quick and sounded confident. “Because Ezran, your love for others and for this world drives you forward and even if the world wants to beat you down with cynicism, don’t be afraid to continue expressing that love when you lead and inspire others. They deserve it; the world deserves it. Everyone deserves to have you. You’re a special, kind and bright boy, far too clever for your age. You may have not done many things as a king, but you are human, just like any king, and I know you as a person, which is why I trust you and I love you. No matter what, I will always be proud of you.”

Ezran felt totally taken aback by those kind words, but he wasn’t completely surprised. Regardless of the situation, Francis’s face always turned softer and smiled whenever he looked at him. It made him feel like he was glowing. “I will try.” He said, jumping into a hug. He felt like he could do this, like he wasn’t and wouldn’t be alone even when Francis left. He could feel Francis’s mind. There was a chain, an order of events in his head and a sea of thoughts drowned it, occasionally chopping and changing it. Ezran decided to pry a little into that. “You have something planned, but you still haven’t told anyone about it. Why?”

Francis sighed. “It feels a little bit like a stretch, but if someone else can come to the same conclusion, then maybe it isn’t.” He nudged him lightly. “Besides I don’t have an insight into people’s minds, so I think you may be able to come to a better conclusion as a result.”

“Can you at least tell me some of the things you’re thinking? Maybe some form of guidance for me?” Ezran asked.

“Okay, Ez,” Francis held his shoulders. “I want you to remember everything you’ve heard and felt. It might not end up useful, but if my gut feeling is right, it will help you come to the right decision. I’m just going to say one very important thing – Rex Terra was killed on the outskirts of Elarion.”

“I will keep that in mind.” He replied.

“Great,” Francis patted him on the back. “You know the path to Drakewood’s Hall?”

“Of course!” He piped up excitedly. “There’s only one path and it’s really narrow, so there is no way to lose your orientation!”

“Good,” Francis playfully ruffled his hair and pulled him into another tight hug, that was enough to squeeze his soul. “Don’t you ever forget, that even if I’m not here with you physically, I’m always by your side, looking over you.” Francis pointed to his head and heart.

“Good luck.” He hugged him back. “Please be back soon.”

“Don’t worry, my Arcanum allows me to do some very fun things while I sleep.” Francis hinted with a sunny smile. “So you wouldn’t miss me too much.” He got up and rushed over to Rayla and Marie.

With new-found reassurance, Ezran rose to his feet and approached the rest of the leaders, waiting to be adjourned. “So, where are we going?” Ibis asked.

“To Drakewood’s Hall.” Ezran’s reply was firm and decisive, despite the heavy eyes in the background that were making his crown heavy.

* * *

His head spun and his body felt unbearably weak. Callum opened his eyes to a cold, dark and damp dungeon cell. His jacket and shirt were tossed to the side, meaning that his exposed back was constantly up against a cold wall, as his hands were chained up to the sides. The last thing he remembered was him trying to pull some spell off, before he got overwhelmed and he began to throw punches. Then he felt a sharp pain in his neck and he quickly lost consciousness. It was still itching, like there was tiny puncture in it.

“Ah, you’re finally awake.” He heard an eerily familiar voice. When his eyes got adjusted to the dark, he immediately recognised Viren’s staff and his demeanour. Somehow it was true. Viren survived the fall, evaded Rayla’s search and he now stood before him. Next to Viren however was someone else and her sight sent shivers down his spine. He hadn’t seen Claudia in over two years, but her half white hair made him afraid. What had happened to her?

“Where am I?” He asked.

“Oh, that doesn’t matter at all, Callum.” Viren replied eerily. “What matters is what you can offer.”

“What do you mean?” He asked.

“Oh, you know it is very interesting when you have a human mage who is able to perform Primal Magic and not Dark Magic.” Viren spoke unnervingly quiet. “But what’s more intriguing is when he discovers a new Primal.”

Callum’s head started to very slowly pick things up and piece back reality together, but it was still a little off. “What?”

“It looks like my team has knocked your memories loose.” Viren sneered. “The so-called Ice Primal. Show it!”

Callum’s head finally snapped back in place. He managed to recall everything and his feelings were almost back to normal. His Moonshadow Primal kicked in first. Immediately the place felt off to Callum. Through his Arcanum he could feel the whole area (not just his dungeon cell he was in) teeming with spirits – a lot of death happened here. What also felt off to him was that for some reason he could feel a tug of Moonshadow Arcanum coming off of Viren. Maybe Sky too, but he still was recovering, so it was hard to tell. Wasn’t he supposed to be a Dark Mage? In any case, he now knew why he was kidnapped… or rather who the true target was. He couldn’t let them discover that mistake any time soon. “What do you need from me?”

“I need you to show me whether the rumours are true.” Viren said.

“Not a chance that I am showing you anything.” He said defiantly.

“Very foolish of you to say that,” Viren shook his head. “You are aware of the consequences of your lack of cooperation.”

“I don’t care.” He replied.

“Father,” Claudia interrupted. “You don’t have to do this to him.” She sounded… suppliant?

“Claudia, you know that he was one of the people who obstructed our path for a greater cause of humanity’s prosperity.” Viren said. Callum pointedly scoffed at that, but he was ignored.

“Yes, but he’s my friend.” Claudia argued and Callum jolted at that, making his chains hit against each other and the wall.

“Remember what I have said before, those who resist or choose to express themselves are selfish and aren’t worthy of being led or being part of the team.” Viren began patiently. “And if they are not with our team…”

“Then they’re against us and thus are our enemies.” Claudia finished it for him with her eyes closed, although she didn’t look as if she was entirely confident on that matter. Regardless, Callum was in a stupor. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing, because that was nothing like the kind, open-minded and curious Claudia he knew.

“There is no place for those who choose to do what they want; there is no place for expression in a team.” Viren continued. “There is only place for order, because they must all push for one single goal.”

“That’s not true.” Callum argued and managed to hide his flinch when Viren sharply turned to look at him. “Everyone is different and has different abilities, you can’t make them all the same.”

“Ah, I see you have taken quite closely to Francis.” Viren scoffed. “That man is weak, because he thinks he can let others be themselves and shows love to his team. Oh, how pathetically wrong he is.”

“Don’t you dare talk about him like that!” Callum pushed against his chains, but they were not budging. “He is a great leader and he is trying to solve the world’s problems, while you are the one who is hiding from the entire world.”

“Don’t get the wrong idea here.” Viren said, smiling wickedly as if totally unfazed by Callum’s comments. “I admire and respect the man, but I also pity him, because not only is he wrong, but to also have others place such trust in you is unfounded. Nobody can ever fulfil such expectations and I know that you want to resist me, because you think he’ll come for you.” Viren looked at him condescendingly. “Unfortunately, his belief of others ‘expressing’ themselves will get in the way of the mission, as others pay for his mistakes. If he didn’t give so much freedom to others, then like a true leader he would’ve been the one that got hit by that crossbow bolt.”

“How do you know about that?” Callum asked.

“I’ve heard about it.” Viren replied creepily calmly. “Now, I will forgive your insolence and give you a day to think over your stubbornness. I warn you that you will pay a heavy toll for trying to resist me.” Viren turned around and headed towards the exit. “I will permit you to speak with him, your _former_ friend.” He told Claudia before leaving the room, who looked to have diminished in size under his gaze. “Oh,” he stopped at the door. “And one more thing Callum, Francis’s belief in others will only let him down, because no one in this world is truly selfless. He values people too much.”

“You’re wrong.” Callum said firmly. Viren only sneered and walked away. The sound of his staff hitting the floor echoed in the stone corridors as they became distant.

Callum stared at Claudia, who had her hand hesitantly in front of her. She pointedly didn’t look at him. He still felt a sour taste in his mouth after the events at the Moon Nexus and The Battle.

“Don’t think I don’t see you, Prince Judgey-face.” She said coldly and a little snidely.

“Oh, I’m glad you do, because that gives me an inkling of faith that you can actually see yourself in a mirror at what you’ve become.” Callum was merciless.

“Get off your high horse!” Claudia raised her voice. “What you’ve done to me is far worse!”

“I don’t think anything can top trying to kidnap Zym and then aid your father in trying to kill him.” Callum remarked.

“That dragon is going to end us all! It was for the greater good and prosperity of humanity and you obstructed that!”

“How could you think that killing so many others will lead to prosperity of humanity?” Callum challenged.

“How could you and Soren abandon me?” Claudia shouted, nearly breaking into tears.

Callum looked at her, utterly stunned. The hole around his chest was getting noticeable. “What?” He uttered. Why did her question sound so familiar?

“You left me! You abandoned me!” She continued.

“I didn’t!” His impulses replied. “I was protecting…” he trailed off, suddenly feeling like this conversation already happened before only with the roles reversed. His shoulders and head dropped at the realisation, as the hole around his heart was once again clear.

“Who? Who were you protecting?” Claudia demanded.

“My friends, myself… and it seems you as well, from making a mistake.” Callum replied, dismayed. It genuinely felt like he was speaking to himself right now, only from Rayla’s perspective.

“Well, great, thanks for protecting me so much!” Claudia scowled. “You really helped me when your elf friend pushed my father off the Storm Spire or when Soren was paralysed. You really protected me well there. How could you swap me and humanity for elves? How could you?”

“I had to.” He replied with words that weren’t entirely his own.

She sneered. “That’s not an answer. In reality, you didn’t actually care about me at all!”

Claudia really didn’t have a clue as to why what she did was wrong and why he had to go on with the mission. Now he truly understood Francis’s words. He now understood the full picture. He understood what Rayla felt when he had a go at her and how she was able to make that decision to leave. He didn’t necessarily fully agree with it, but at least now he felt way more comfortable with forgiving her. To him, it felt like the hole around his chest could get smaller. The biggest irony of course was that after all of her concerns about keeping him away from Viren, he now was captured by him, partially justifying her decision. How extra worried would she be when she discovered that Viren of all people held him captive? He could only sigh at the irony. “Just be glad that you didn’t help your father kill me and Ezran, as well as Zym.” He told her.

“He would never have asked to do something like that!” Claudia of course referred to killing Callum and Ezran part. “Instead the whole world wanted him dead and I had to keep him alive!”

“Are you happy now?” Callum blurted, wishing that the conversation would end now.

Claudia didn’t give the answer immediately, making him furrow his brow at that. “Y-Yes,” she finally said, stuttering in the process. “I am happy.”

Callum twitched his mouth, faintly intrigued by her slight delay of a hesitant answer. He felt like there was nothing he could do for her and he felt bitter about being this useless and lost. “Good for you,” he looked away. “Now leave me alone.”

She didn’t say anything back. He listened how she left his cell and walked down the corridor, leaving him alone in the dreary darkness. After a while his Sky Arcanum felt more tangible. Back in Katolis, he learned to listen very carefully when he subjected himself to similar lonely situations from two years ago. It was as if his mind became a little clearer and he could concentrate on the different sources of sound that the wind carried. Alone in a cold cell, with his bare back against the wall, he listened to the draft that was in the dungeons. Was the wind carrying the faint distant sounds of the coast?

* * *

_Oh no,_ Ezran conversed with Bait, holding his head with one hand and an important scroll in his other one.

It had been a day and a half, since Ezran was left in charge. They travelled rather briskly East towards the narrow piece of land on the continent between the Sea of Castout in the West and the mountain ranges and the ocean in the East. Nothing major had been happening during that time. The only thing Ezran felt were the growing glares of the nobles that encumbered his crown and the constant feeling of worry for the friends that left to rescue his brother. Now however, something very important came through during their break in travels.

 _You need to take a deep breath._ Bait told him.

In his hand he held a scroll with the royal seal on it, which he received from a messenger bird. The contents of the scroll – alarming. It was addressed to him from Lady Opeli, who urgently requested his return to Katolis, since the people were publicly resisting his agenda on Eastern Xadia. He needed to return to maintain his image of a king and not come across as someone who ran away from his responsibilities.

 _What am I going to do?_ Ezran held his head, panicking like crazy. _How can I do this – be a king and a leader of UXaC? This is too much._

 _It’s very annoying._ Bait grumbled.

 _What would Francis do in this situation?_ Ezran thought. _Oh, how I wish he was here right now._

 _He would probably think and brood loads like he always does._ Bait croaked.

 _He would definitely not panic so much… but this is so overwhelming._ Ezran groaned.

 _Well, let’s relax then and think this through._ Bait looked at him. _Maybe it’s time to remember how you felt for the past few days._

Ezran took a deep breath. He needed to gather his thoughts.

“Ezran?” He heard someone speak to him. When he looked up, he saw Soren and Marcos standing as if they were conversing about something before they came across him.

“Is everything alright?” Soren asked. “You look like… a little…”

“Stressed.” Marcos finished his sentence very quickly.

He sighed. “I’m… not sure what to do.”

“It’s okay to ask for advice, if that’s the case.” Marcos told him.

“Or if it can be beaten up, I can certainly exercise my knuckles!” Soren pointedly cracked them, as Marcos rolled his eyes at that.

“It’s just a lot and… I’m not sure what the right thing to do is, because most people who I lead don’t support me.” He tried to sound as even as possible.

“So what?” Soren blurted out. “To me it sounds like an extra resistance to my workouts that I complete anyway!”

“It is a daunting task for sure,” Marcos said, glaring at Soren. “But it doesn’t mean you are in the wrong for speaking out against it.”

He suddenly remembered what Marcos went through two years ago just after he abdicated. Maybe he could gather some advice from him. “How was it? Standing up against Viren?”

Marcos looked a little surprised by that question, but he went on anyway. “I was hesitant, but in the end I didn’t care for what anyone else thought. I did what I thought… no, believed was right… and it paid off. Others who also had similar views and ideas got the courage and followed me.”

“Huh,” Ezran’s eyes went pensive. “That was very brave of you.”

“Thank you, Ezran.” Marcos nodded. “It was quite scary and I was afraid that I would be the only one.”

“I mean I too went against my father, because I thought it wasn’t right for you to be in the cell.” Soren interjected, not wanting to be outshone.

Ezran’s eyes widened. _That’s exactly what Francis told you – it’s what would you do. You are the one in charge and it’s your time to express your stances on these topics._ His decisions and his path were clearer now.

“Excuse me,” an unpleasantly obnoxious and squeaky voice interrupted them. He immediately felt a familiar daunting and dark web of mistrust, paranoia and political intrigue, coming from that voice that made his crown unbearable. He wondered why was it so dark and what it truly hid. He turned to see the short and fat Chis, accompanied by the other three nobles. “I’ve seen the messenger bird fly by, I assume you’ve received a memorandum from Lady Opeli about the state of Katolis.” Chis smiled creepily, rubbing his hands.

He narrowed his eyes. _Come to think of it, how did the bird know to come here exactly? I didn’t tell Lady Opeli where we went._ Suddenly, his initial panic and feelings of being overwhelmed were gone, as he started to think straighter.

“If we may be left alone now, this is a private meeting with the king.” Chis smacked his lips and Ezran’s crown became heavier, crushing into his skull.

 _No, I’m tired of you and it’s time to play by my rules and share the ground I’m standing on._ His hand formed a fist, as he pushed against the crown’s pressure. “You want to constantly avoid coming into contact with me publicly, but you are in my court and I am the king and now leader of UXaC.” He spoke firmly. “I set the conditions for the meetings.”

“What?” Chis blurted out.

“We don’t have a lot of time so you’re speaking now, in the presence of one of UXaC’s Commanders and my Crown Guard.” Neither Soren nor Marcos rejected that proposition and the crown felt a little easier on his head with them around him.

“Preposterous.” Chis panted. “You have no right to…”

“You’re speaking to the king!” Soren reminded him. “If you don’t hold your golden tongue, I’ll shorten it for you!”

“It’s ‘silver tongue’, Soren.” Marcos pointed out.

“If you lay a finger on me, I will make sure you lose your position as a Crown Guard!” Chis threatened.

Soren was unfazed. “Before that can come into effect, I’ll make sure you remember for the rest of your life that you spoke out of line against the king.”

“I mean, I wouldn’t see anything.” Marcos hinted whose side he was on.

“Besides, it is my decision to appoint or remove the Crown Guard, Councilman Chis.” He stepped in before Soren would actually throw a punch. “I suggest that you don’t forget your position.”

“The nobles will rebel!” Chis raised his voice and the nobles behind him nodded.

“If you even dare…” Soren grew ireful.

“Soren!” He commanded and Soren rested his case. “Could you please invite General Amaya, Commander Gren and Commander Archibald over?”

“What?” The nobles exclaimed. “They don’t matter in this private topic we have!” Chis protested, but Soren didn’t even bother to stop, as he quickly went ahead.

“On the contrary,” Ezran disagreed. “What truly matters is what the people I really care about think and say. I can trust that they won’t be in solely for themselves.”

Chis was staring at him dumbfounded. _This little…_ he read Chis and his crown felt lighter. He must have been pressing him in the right spots.

“Someone very close told me that and I agree with him.” He told him. “And I have all the right to believe that you are hiding something.”

 _He’s bluffing._ He heard Chis think. He knew that some darkness is hiding behind him – a serious lie that upheld everything. His intentions were shrouded in that darkness. If he continued pressing him, then perhaps the truth would be revealed.

“We’re here, Ezran.” He heard Commander Gren’s voice, signalling his and Aunt Amaya’s arrivals. Chis trembled slightly. “Is something off?” Gren continued to translate Aunt Amaya.

“I’ve received a letter from Lady Opeli and suddenly Councilman Chis wants to have a meeting with me, as if he knew about it.” He pointed out.

“As I said, I saw the messenger bird.” Chis went defensive.

“May I point out, that you’ve been having a few of these private meetings.” Marcos said.

“This is a private matter that concerns the kingdom.” Chis argued.

“If that’s the case,” Aunt Amaya spoke through Gren. “Then the people who are related to the king should be present.”

“With all my due respect,” Chis’s voice trembled a little. “But these matters are diplomatic and internal and thus need to be discussed with the king alone.”

“And with the people I choose to be present.” Ezran spoke firmly, shutting Chis up. The crown was becoming lighter.

 _Don’t you dare tell them what we’ve been discussing._ He read Chis once again.

“Now, Lady Opeli has told me that there was a growing revolt against me.” He pressed, watching Chis’s face contort at that.

“Revolt?” Marcos sounded taken aback. “The people I have been talking to are happy with the way you rule and are willing to give your proposal of building up relations with Eastern Xadia a go.” He told him genuinely, not that he would lie and if he did, then Ezran would be able to tell.

“Even my soldiers feel excited about the prospect of peaceful times with Eastern Xadia.” Gren translated Amaya’s signs. “I’ve even been bringing some with me on my occasional travels to Lux Aurea.”

“I have been constantly told the opposite and that I am the only one who wants coexistence.” Ezran explained.

“Nonsense.” Marcos said. “Why are there Katolis soldiers here then, if that was the case?”

 _You big, obese, dirty liar!_ He heard Aunt Amaya think and she clenched her fists.

“That’s not the case!” Chis objected, albeit trembling. “People want nothing of the sorts!”

“That’s solely the nobility’s stance!” Gren managed to translate Aunt Amaya’s angry, sharp and furious movements of her hands and fingers, as they almost sliced the air. “People are far more open-minded than you and you dared to tell my nephew such a lie!” She grabbed Chis by the collar and began to violently shake him.

 _So, Chis has been lying to me all this time,_ Ezran thought. _But what Lady Opeli said in her letter is also not true?_ The web of darkness shook as a sudden connection became clear to him… and the crown had almost stopped constricting his head. “You knew that the messenger bird came and you knew what the letter said.” He began to spell it out. “The bird also somehow knew of our location, even though I never told Lady Opeli anything about our travels.”

“You haven’t been sending back reports to Lady Opeli?!” Chis exclaimed, as he still was held up by Aunt Amaya. “But that’s your duty as a king on a royal mission! Lady Lily was right when she said that this has been you running away from your responsibility!” Everyone glared at him for that and Aunt Amaya given him another series of thrashings.

“I’m sorry, I haven’t and I should have.” He conceded. “But that doesn’t change the fact that the messenger bird should never have known to come here, because Lady Opeli couldn’t have known. Which leaves me to believe that the one who sent the letter had to know of our location and it would be impossible to do anything of the sorts for anyone outside UXaC. And that person was you. You are the one who sent the letter all to misdirect me in order to hide your true intentions, which was to get me as far away from UXaC as possible.” The web of darkness suddenly cleared up and he could feel the complex strings of connections lead to that final answer… but something felt off. Chis wasn’t the only one who knitted a web of darkness. There was one other person he encountered that did – Queen Abelone… and her web of darkness also became a little clearer.

 _You are despicable,_ Aunt Amaya threw Chis to the ground. “You better explain yourself why you went so far as to lie to my nephew!” She spoke through Gren, barely holding herself back from going all out on Chis.

“Your Majesty,” Chis’s voice shook, as he barely got up. “I did all of this so that you wouldn’t lose sight of what was truly yours to be concerned with. Katolis has nothing to do with Eastern Xadia, but your subjects do, your people do. What you are doing is not a becoming image of a king.”

Ezran almost cringed from that nicely served sweet lie… or at the very least, a presentable excuse, that was just the nobility wanting to do nothing with Eastern Xadia. “A king fights for his people… but he shouldn’t for them alone.” He went on confidently as he remembered everything he saw happen over the past few days and the things people said… mostly one specific person. “He should fight for the better future of the whole world, one that can also benefit his own people. I will not abandon and forget others to selfishly serve only my people, just because I lead the kingdom. I must fight for the truth that is the bright future for everyone, because if I do that, then others could follow and help us as well. I will continue to strive for prosperity and coexistence between us and Eastern Xadia and if anyone challenges me, then I will stand my ground!” The crown felt balanced on his head. It fit him. He turned his determined eyes on Chis. “You on the other hand have blurred the truth and went as far as to forge a letter all to serve your own interests. You are no longer fit to be a councilman at the High Council. Now, get out of my sight.”

“Your Majesty…”

“Get out!” Marcos shouted, sonorously stomping his leg. Chis and the nobles quickly ran away. “That was well spoken, King Ezran.” He complimented. “Now we have one less thing to worry about.”

“ _Nephew, why haven’t you told me about this?_ ” Aunt Amaya signed, but she didn’t look chiding.

 _“I know you hated everything to do with politics and I didn’t want to boggle you with it.”_ Ezran signed back.

 _“You’re growing up to be such a good person,”_ she signed back, getting on her knee to be eye level with him. “ _But you don’t need to do that. For you, I’m ready to deal with all kinds of things I hate, including politics, because I love you. Will you tell me and ask for my help next time?_ ”

Ezran nodded very slowly, almost absentmindedly. He had his brow furrowed. As he heeded Francis’s advice and began to recall everything, he began to slowly piece things together. Another dark web of lies and political intrigue was coming down. “Marcos,” he uttered. “Get the rest of the leaders here! This is an emergency!” Marcos was wide-eyed but he didn’t waste any time.

Aunt Amaya tilted her head. “ _Nephew, what’s wrong?_ ”

“I think I just realised what Francis was on to when he talked to me before he left.” He said. “His civil war comment back at the Drakewood’s Hall might end up being true if we don’t do something now.”

“Civil war?” He heard Janai’s voice, as she walked with Ibis. That was very quick from Marcos. “Are you talking about Order of Druids and Geo Tribe? Is that why you called us?”

“Yes, we must stop that!” He stated.

“Please, their schism pales in comparison to the threat of Lux Aurea.” Ibis disagreed.

He ignored that remark. “Remember how Francis asked Queen Abelone if she would let us sort the problem out on their own?”

“Yes and she said ‘yes’,” Janai replied. “But I doubt she’s going to keep her word, considering how little she trusts us.”

“It’s not just that; it was a lie! I felt it!” Ezran insisted, as the web slowly untangled. “She had no intentions of staying out of it from the start. She was going to use us to weaken Terry’s position and misdirect us from her real plan of action, which was to attack Helmi Planes!”

“How can you say that?” Ibis asked.

He had to think how to phrase that, since not everyone would believe that he can feel people’s attitudes and read their mind. Besides he wanted to keep that ability a secret. “Recall the amount of soldiers they both had!” He came up with a solution.

“It’s true, it did feel unusually high.” Janai agreed.

“And you think she used us to weaken the Geo Tribe?” Ibis asked.

“Ever since an attempt on her life, definitely yes.” Ezran continued. “She was going to keep us out of her way, because after she wrote a letter and invited us, she was going to force Francis to do this. She hoped that there was no way to avoid the Leader’s Challenge and whilst we travelled up and down, she would have enough time to make it. Unfortunately for her, we had to travel East for a day, due to unplanned circumstances.”

“And you think they already moved out?” Janai asked.

“If she thinks that Geo Tribe are more powerful than her, then wouldn’t it make sense to attack as soon as possible after we weakened them a bit and before they recover?” Ezran argued, as he felt rather calm and confident.

“And _you think Geo Tribe knows of the upcoming attack._ ” Aunt Amaya deduced.

“Almost certainly, simply because they know that we were sent by them.” He replied. “If any of Francis’s reasonings landed on the elves at Helmi Planes, then they might think that they aren’t at such a disadvantage! They will try and ambush them or strike earlier than them!”

Everyone looked around and nodded at the reasoning. “We must hurry to Drakewood’s Hall and stop her!” Ibis insisted.

“No, she has already left!” Ezran argued, feeling everyone look at him in surprise.

“So what?” Ibis challenged. “We must press on quicker and intercept them! We must continue our path immediately!”

“We have to turn around and head West!” Ezran stated.

“Away from Drakewood Hall? Why?” Janai asked.

“Think about it, which way were we planning to return to Drakewood Hall?” Ezran asked.

“There is only one.” Janai said.

“And both Order of Druids and Geo Tribe knew that we would take that path, right?” Ezran continued.

“That path is extremely narrow!” Marcos seemed to have been picking up.

“ _And both armies would definitely want to avoid us._ ” Aunt Amaya signed.

“Precisely, why neither of them are going to take that path and would instead travel another way – the Sea of Castout.” Ezran stated.

“The entire South coast of the sea is high cliffs, apart from one spot!” Ibis’s eyes slowly widened, as he too began to piece this together.

“And where was Rex Terra killed?” Ezran drove his point home.

“On the outskirts of Elarion and just South of the coast.” Janai replied, her eyes also filling in realisation.

“Considering how much Earthblood elves like their history, it seems almost like a perfect plan. Only we figured it out and we are going to intercept them.” Ezran concluded. The realisation of everyone put this entire meeting in loud silence, as they looked at each other.

“He doesn’t fail to surprise me once again,” Ibis cut the silence, as he spoke with a smirk on his face. “It was totally crazy of him to put a ten year old in charge of UXaC, but he was right once again to entrust you with leading us. That was a brilliant job you did there and Katolis can be proud of the great future you will surely bring.”

Ezran managed to hold back a proud smile, but he was sure that Francis wouldn’t shy away from flashing that same sunny smile to him right now, if he was here. “We must turn around and head West to intercept the two armies and prevent a civil war from taking place!” He said urgently.

“Hey guys!” Soren called out, as he returned after all this time, breathing a little heavily. He straightened when he saw their serious expressions. “Oh, did I miss something?”

“I’ll tell you everything later, Soren.” Marcos sighed with exasperation. “But firstly, why are you breathing like you just ran around the walls of Katolis?”

“Yeah, so I just searched the entire camp,” he replied.

“Why?” Marcos asked.

“It was under King Ezran’s orders.” Soren pointed out.

Marcos groaned. “And?”

“Archibald is not here.” Soren decreed.

“ _What?_ ” Aunt Amaya signed. “ _He deserted?_ ”

“Possibly.” Soren replied.

“It doesn’t matter,” Ezran said. “We’re running out of time and we’re turning around now!”

“What? Where?” Soren asked, but he moved back towards his horse like everyone else was.

Ezran shrugged his shoulders. “You can catch-up with Marcos about that.” Right now, they needed to go as fast as possible to the West, towards the ruins of Elarion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, well, well, more bad things happen, but at least this time my boy Ezran finally stood up to Chis! It's slowly coming together why all of this is happening (hopefully the logic isn't too much of a big stretch). If you feel like certain characters are being left out, I'm sorry, I'm trying my best to juggle them all together and make them fit into the story somehow. It's a feeling I also got while writing everything.  
> Thanks for reading and I hope you've enjoyed this chapter. Next week: we go over to the chasing party!  
> Quick note: I have added a few lines to the previous chapter (right after Rayla gets shot with a crossbow bolt) that hint a little at one of Ice Primal's capabilities, so that what happens in the next chapter isn't completely out of blue (even if it is somewhat logical).


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